


Destiny Calls

by Xs_Files



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-01-12 22:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18455711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xs_Files/pseuds/Xs_Files
Summary: When Team AVTM finds something unexpected hiding in a cave in Argus, everything they know about Remnant gets turned upside down. Together, they head to Atlas to find Team RWBY and help save the world.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I designed the outfits for the characters on my Deviantart, which can be found here https://www.deviantart.com/xs-files  
> if you want to check them out! Thanks for reading!

“Alex, I know you’re usually right about things, but can you please tell me why it’s necessary for us to be sneaking off to the mountains at 2:00 AM just because you thought you saw a glowing light this morning?” While he respected his leader, Tavon Hood was not in the mood for an early morning mission.  
“No kidding, Sunshine.” Marina Read, Tavon’s partner, said to the back of Alex’s head. “I mean, shouldn’t we be going away from the glowy light? It’s probably just a Manticore, and I am not awake enough to put on a good fight.”  
Alexandrite Macedon, a short, blonde, fit young woman, turned and crossed her arms at the both of them, still walking backwards.  
“It didn’t look like a manticore’s light. Plus, it felt...supernatural, kinda familiar even. It’s worth a look.” Alex said turning back around. “Annnnd if it’s nothing, pancakes will be on me.”  
Tavon and Mari high fived.  
Vermillion took a step closer to his partner, careful to make sure his long legs didn’t propel him in front of her. The two walked step in step, Alex’s half his own, when he quietly spoke.  
“Supernatural?” He asked. “Like magic?”  
Alex nodded.  
“Good magic or bad magic?”  
Alex laughed.  
“There was no time to tell. But it felt weird. That’s why I came to get you guys, and just in case it was something we needed to worry about, we’re here at a time no one will notice us.”  
Team AVTM (Autumn), former students at Beacon Academy, had decided to transfer to Haven Academy to continue their first year of training. After watching their friends be pulled apart; Team JNPR with one less member, and Team RWBY split four ways, AVTM thought it best if they were to stay together and practice their trade, just in case another attack should occur. While admittedly, they didn’t know their peers to the greatest extent, only exchanging the occasional conversation and joke’s during classes, AVTM was heartbroken to hear about every lost life during the fall of their beloved Academy. Still, they wear the heartbreak like a badge in honor of Beacon, and soon hoped to return.  
Right now, they were still technically on an “extended spring break” as Haven academy had been attacked and Professor Lionheart murdered. They were now currently in Argus, a place they picked simply because it wasn’t Mistral, but it wasn’t to far away. They were supposed to be heading back to Haven that day, but Alex’s recent discovery had pushed them back a day.  
“Well let’s hope it’s good magic then.” Vermillion finished.  
“Yeah, and also that we don’t get caught off school grounds in the middle of the night.” Mari said huffing, blowing a piece of her short brown hair from her face.  
“You’re just mad because you wanted to sleep.” Alex grinned.  
“She’s not the only one.” Tavon added.  
The conversation died down as the team found themselves at a clearing of trees. Alex moved the last of the branches away to reveal a small and reasonably flat mountain range. Alex scanned the mountains for the light she had seen, and lightly punched Vermillion when she found it.  
“Look! Up there! What did I tell ya?”  
Her three teammates followed her finger and noticed the yellow light.  
“Yeah that does look like a manticore.” Tavon said.  
“Yeah well, only one way to find out!” Alex began walking again, moving up the mountain, her team following. After scaling the mountains they could see the light growing brighter and could make out it’s surroundings. It was in some sort of cave surrounded by old carved stones and rocks. They were now standing only 10 yards away. Mari shivered.  
“I’m getting a weird vibe, I’ll tell ya that.” She whispered. They each pulled out their weapons as they walked into the light. It was warm, almost lifelike, as if the sun was out on an early summers day. It would have been calming if it wasn’t for the fact that it was 2:00 AM and they were in an old cave. They pushed on, careful to be quiet. As they walked deeper into the cave, they could hear rocks crumbling. The light was glowing brighter and it became harder for them to see. Alex couldn’t even use her abilities to block it out. The rocks began to shake.  
“Alex,” Vermillion whispered, but Alex knew what he was about to say. The cave was about to come down. Sure enough, a large piece of rock came crumbling to the ground behind Mari. She screamed and Tavon gave a loud yelp of surprise. Alex looked back, panicked. It didn’t seem as if they could make it out. She moved a little farther ahead with complaints from Tavon. After her 5th step, a boulder came flying directly at her.  
“Duck!” She screamed just in time for her teammates to jump out of the way.  
“What was that?!” Mari yelled completely confused. She was right, a cave couldn’t throw boulders at you.  
Alex ran farther into the cave. She jumped over a rock, turned a corner and stopped in her tracks. She let out a gasp. She recognized that red hair, that pale skin, those tear-stained green eyes. It was Pyrrha. She was glowing, gleaming in that yellow light, but shaking uncontrollably. She was wrapped in a white toga. They locked eyes and Pyrrha cry’s deepened.  
“Alex.” She stuttered. “You need to leave. I-I can’t control it. I’ll kill you.”  
Alex’s team ran in behind her.  
“Alex,” V said. “What are you-” He stopped when he saw Pyrrha. Mari put a hand to her mouth. Tavon’s jaw dropped. Alex put her arm up to stop her team from coming closer. She began to talk softly.  
“Hey Pyrrha,” She said kindly. “Long time no see.” She paused thinking of what to say. “Everything will be okay. You won’t hurt us, I promise. Let’s just get you out of here, okay?” Alex moved a little closer, then knelt to the ground and crawled over to Pyrrha. She sat in front of Pyrrha. Taking the girls hands, forcing her to release her grip around her legs.  
Alex smiled at Pyrrha, who made an attempt to return the gesture. Alex let her hands produce a warm light. Pyrrha’s hands softened at the warmth.  
“My semblance,” Pyrrha breathed. “The metal in the rocks. I can’t control-”  
“Don’t worry,” Alex said kindly. She put her warm hand on Pyrrha’s forehead. “Everything will be fine.”  
With the touch of Alex’s warm hand, Pyrrha instantly relaxed. The cave stopped shaking, and Pyrrha stopped glowing. She took a deep breath before engulfing Alex in a hug, thanking her. They broke apart and Alex tried to help Pyrrha stand, but her legs were weak and she ended up tripping. Vermillion scooped her up in his arms. He was certainly strong enough, standing a monstrous 6’10. Pyrrha hung onto him for dear life as they all moved quickly out of the cave. They walked back down the mountain, Alex standing next to V, Pyrrha still his arms, and Tavon and Mari right behind them. Alex felt someone tug her backward. She turned to see Mari looking concerned.  
“How is that possible?” She asked quietly. “Ruby said she saw her die.”  
“I don’t know,” Alex replied. “But she’s here. So, right now, the question is, what do we do with her?”  
“We can’t sneak her into the hotel,” Tavon said. “Could you imagine how quickly the news would spread if someone saw her? She’s pretty weak right now. We can’t put that much pressure back on her.”  
Alex nodded in agreement.  
“If we could find her a safe place for tonight, we can figure everything else out tomorrow.”  
“I know a place,” Tavon said, pulling ahead of V. They walked through the quiet town, snaking through alleys and avoiding street lamps until finally, Tavon pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door to an abandoned nursery home. The place was lined with old beds covered in dust. Alex picked up a blanket from a bed next to a window where no one would see Pyrrha. She shook out the blanket and laid it back down on the bed. Vermillion set Pyrrha down. She curled up and hugged her knees. The four of them weren’t sure how to act around her. Pyrrha was always so strong, so perfect. Now she was limp and timid.  
“Mari, Tavon,” Alex said quietly. “See if you can find a place that’s open and grab some food. Maybe stop by an artisan and get a blanket and pillow.”  
The two nodded and began to turn.  
“I’m really okay.” Pyrrha’s words shook as she spoke. “You don’t have to do that.”  
“Pyrrha,” Alex spoke softly. “It’s no big deal. We just want to make sure you’re safe.”  
Too weak to protest, Pyrrha nodded. Mari and Tavon walked out.  
“You must be so confused.” Pyrrha lightly laughed.  
“Just a little,” Vermillion said calmly.  
“You don’t have to explain now,” Alex said. “You need to rest. Tell us in the morning.”  
“Yeah, okay,” Pyrrha said relaxing. “Thank you for helping me. I’m sorry I almost brought a cave down on you.”  
“It’s okay.” Alex laughed.  
“Yeah, it’s all good,” V added.  
“Remind me of your name again?” Pyrrha asked kindly.  
“Vermillion.”  
“Right! Thank you.”  
“I call him V, or Millie,” Alex added.  
“Yeah, I’m not picky.”  
Pyrrha smiled and laid back into the bed. She let out a gleeful sigh of relief.  
“I missed this.” She whispered closing her eyes. Alex moved off the bed and let Pyrrha stretch her legs. Pyrrha opened her eyes and turned towards them.  
“It’s good to see you again.” She said.  
“You too, Pyrrha,” Alex said as Pyrrha closed her eyes.

*  
Mari and Tavon returned just as Pyrrha had fallen asleep. They had bought 10 bagels with various cream cheese spread, four pillows, and three blankets. It was all the store had to sell them. Mari covered Pyrrha in a blanket and opened the bag of bagels. They each ate their bagels quietly. Alex with her strawberry cream cheese spread, V with his orange jam, Tavon had his with pepper, and Mari had the regular cream cheese. When they finished, Alex checked the time. It was 3:44 AM. The sun would rise in an hour and a half. Alex knew they needed to go back to the Academy before they were caught. Alex looked up at her team.  
“I think you should go back,” She said quietly. “We only have one night left at the hotel and someone needs to be there to check out. The more people around Pyrrha, the more attraction we’ll get, and the more freaked she’ll be. But I need to stay. If she wakes up alone she’ll be confused. Who knows what her semblance could do in this city if she loses control. I can calm her down.”  
“Shouldn’t at least one of us stay?” Vermillion asked.  
“No. It’s not safe outside alone, and you’re going to need to pack everything up and bring it here in the morning. No one’s around anyway. I’ll be fine.”  
“But are you sure it’s safe?” Vermillion asked concerned for his partner. “What if someone finds Pyrrha?”  
“It’ll be 5 hours at most,” Alex said. “We’ll be fine.”  
The three nodded and stood slowly. They left the bagels for Pyrrha and Alex when they woke up. Mari draped a blanket over Alex’s shoulders. Tavon gave her a nod and salute. Vermillion squeezed her hand. They walked out together and headed back to Haven.

*  
Alex hadn't slept a wink. She was sitting up in one of the beds next to Pyrrha’s. She was confused and had to many questions. She was also paranoid that someone was going to peak in the window and see Pyrrha. She didn’t know how Pyrrha was alive, but people hearing about it would certainly put a target on her back from people like Cinder. That was the last thing Pyrrha needed right now, especially because of the state she was in.  
Sun began pouring in the windows. Alex yawned as she felt the warmth hit her bare arms. She checked her scroll. It was 6 AM. 3 more hours until her team would be back, hopefully without any issues.  
She heard a whimper come from the other bed and looked over at Pyrrha. She was clutching herself as she slept and shaking terribly. At once, Alex was out of bed and kneeling by Pyrrha. She didn’t know whether or not to wake her up or try to calm her down. Alex reached out her hand and placed it on Pyrrha’s forehead. The sleeping body of Pyrrha turned away immediately, putting her back to Alex. The whole room began to shake from Pyrrha’s semblance. Panicking, Alex shook Pyrrha to try and wake her. Alex heard a gasp as Pyrrha jolted awake. Upon impulse, Pyrrha grabbed Alex’s wrist and accidently dug her fingers in her skin. Pyrrha’s face softened as she saw Alex standing over her. She let go of Alex’s wrist and examined the nail marks in her skin. She gently rubbed her thumb over the marks as tears began to fall from her eyes. The room stopped shaking. Alex moved to the other side of the bed quickly and sat next to Pyrrha.  
“I’m sorry,” Pyrrha cried. “I hurt you.”  
Alex rubbed her back.  
“Don’t worry. It’s okay. You didn’t mean to.”  
“But-”  
“Ah, no no no. You’re on edge, and that’s okay Pyrrha. I don’t blame you.” Alex assured her.  
Pyrrha’s tears died down.  
“I’m still sorry.”  
“I know.”  
They sat in silence for a few moments before Pyrrha spoke.  
“I keep having the same dream. It always starts the same, but ends differently. Happily. I hate it.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“If I had been a second faster, moved out of the way, hit her harder...I could have won.”  
“Hey, don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”  
“I usually move on from past failures,” Pyrrha said. “But it’s not easy when you dream it every night.” Alex let Pyrrha continue.  
“Every time I’m fighting her, but every time I win. And then everything goes back to normal. It becomes better actually. Everyone is safe, my friends are happy, Jaune and I are together together, Penny is...alive.”  
Alex made a mental note to go back to the “Jaune and I are together” part.  
“That’s the worst part,” Pyrrha continued. “Knowing that I had all the opportunity to change things, and I failed.”  
“Pyrrha.” Alex whispered, but Pyrrha kept going.  
“I think it’s a warning,” Pyrrha said seriously. “That I don’t get another chance. I can’t mess this up again.”  
“Huh?” Alex was very confused.  
Pyrrha looked at her.  
“I’m sorry. I’m rambling and I haven’t even explained anything yet. It’s just...I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”  
Alex smiled at her.  
“Pyrrha, we live on a world where one bagel costs 4 lien because soulless monsters overran a bread factory. I think I’d believe anything by now.”  
Pyrrha laughed quietly.  
“Okay well, uh… have you heard the tale of The Gods of Light and Dark?”  
Alex was now very, very confused.  
“Yeah. Legend has it they lived on Remnant for a while. Ruled humanity, or something? I only read about it in a book once.”  
Pyrrha took a breath.  
“What if I told you that legend was true?”  
Okay, now Alex was very, very, very confused.  
“Excuse me?”  
Pyrrha straightened herself and looked at Alex right in the eyes, completely serious.  
“I’d probably say that’s crazy and impossible, but I found you alive and all glowy in a cave, so…keep going.”  
Pyrrha’s face softened.  
“I died,” She started. “I’m not sure for how long, but eventually I woke up in this white space. Not a room, it was just white as far as I could see, and standing in front of me was this man--or well, not man--faunus, maybe? I don’t know. He looked like a giant statue of a man, but he had antlers, and no eyes or facial features, just a body. Anyway, he started talking to me--even though he didn’t have a mouth--and told me he was the God of Light. He said that my time on Remnant was cut short and that he would bring me back if I accepted the task of balancing humanity before he and his brother return.”  
They sat in silence as Alex starred at her in disbelief. Alex took a breath.  
“And you’re afraid you can’t do that?”  
“I know I can’t do it.” Pyrrha said. “Eternal balance is impossible. The Gods say we are made of both light and dark, but for balance to occur we would all need to be either dark or light. Their logic is flawed, but I think I would have been killed again if I told them that.”  
“Hey come on,” Alex said sternly. “What happened to you? Remember who you are! You’re the girl who won the Mistral Regional Tournament 4 years in a row! You’re the girl no one could stop at Beacon! You’re still on every box of Pumpkin Pete’s, and… you’re the girl who was brave enough to start a fight with Cinder, to try and save everyone else.” Alex paused. “Pyrrha, we’ve done impossible things before, and yeah balancing the world totally blows, but I don’t think a God would give you a task like that--bring you back from the dead--if he didn’t believe in you. And I believe in you too.”  
Pyrrha looked up at Alex.  
“You’re taking this a little to well and it’s kinda scaring me.”  
Alex laughed. Pyrrha continued.  
“But thank you for saying that, and I think you’re right. Even if all hope seems lost, I have to try. And… I was hoping maybe you and your team would like to help me?”  
Alex smiled.  
“Of course! We can talk to the others when they get here, but I think they’d love to help.”  
Pyrrha looked around the room confused.  
“Oh. Where are they?”  
“At the hotel.” Alex said. “They’re packing our things and should be here around 9.”  
“Where are we?” Pyrrha asked.  
“Argus.” Alex said. Pyrrha stilled. “It’s Haven’s spring break at the moment, so we’re spending it here.”  
“You go to Haven now?” Pyrrha asked.  
Alex suddenly realized Pyrrha had no idea about what went down at Beacon. She said her next words carefully.  
“Uh...yeah. See, Beacon kind of, isn’t really…”  
“Beacon fell?”  
Alex sighed.  
“Yeah. That Grimm Dragon went through the CCT tower and cut off all communications. Plus the school’s kinda destroyed, but teams are working to rebuild it. The issue is that no one can get to the CCT tower since Ruby froze the dragon on top of it.”  
Pyrrha blinked.  
“Excuse me?”  
“Oh! Right! Forgot you missed that,” Alex said. “Actually, I think instead of explaining, I could just show it to you.”  
Alex pulled out her scroll.  
“A bunch of news teams got it on camera, but no one ID’d Ruby which is a good thing.”  
They watched a flash of red next to the Grimm Dragon turn into a white screen. The camera went fuzzy. Alex pulled up a second photo of a stone dragon on top of the tower.  
“Ruby did that?” Pyrrha said. “How is that possible?”  
“Now it’s my turn to tell you a legend,” Alex laughed. “Silver eyed people were regarded as the bravest and most dangerous people in the world millennia ago. Apparently, only a few are still alive today. With practice, silver eyed people have the power to turn Grimm to stone. Very few people still know about the old fable.”  
“How do you know it?” Pyrrha asked.  
“Ruby’s Uncle told us. We went to visit Ruby and Yang a few days after Beacon fell. We were scared and confused, and I kinda feel bad about this, but I asked Mari to use her semblance of mind control to make him spill the beans.”  
“Wow,” Pyrrha said. “That’s kinda-”  
“Awful?”  
“I was going to say useful, but I mean, that too.” She paused. “But I understand. It’s hard to go through something like that and be left with no answers.”  
“Maybe, but now I feel guilty knowing about Ruby, especially since I have no idea what to do with the information.”  
“Well, my mom would say that the best way to deal with a problem you don’t know how to deal with would be to come home a mull it over with a cup of tea. However in times like these I don’t know if that would help the situation.”  
“Actually…” Alex thought for a moment. “I think it just might.”  
Pyrrha looked confused.  
“What do you mean?”  
“Well, there was another attack on Haven led by the White Fang last week while we were on break.” Alex said. “We only just recently heard about it. It wouldn’t be safe to take you there, but you live in Mistral don’t you? Staying with your mom for a few days while you rest will keep you safe and out of the public eye. During that time, we can figure out a plan to meet up with your team. I bet they could help us too.”  
“Seeing my mom? Finding my team? Do you really think that’s a good idea? What if they freak out when they see me? Or what if they don’t believe my story?” Pyrrha was clearly worried.  
“What happened to trying?” Alex said gently. “Things are going to be worse for both you and them if they find out you’re alive and you didn’t tell them. They’ll just be happy to have you back, Pyrrha. Don’t worry about the what if’s, okay?”  
Pyrrha nodded.  
“Okay. I think we should move to my moms now, while it’s still dark.”  
“Right now? We’d have to take a train.”  
“Actually,” Pyrrha said. “My mother lives here, in Argus. This is where I grew up. I guess it’s fitting that I was brought back here.”  
“Wow. Well that’s even better!”  
“Can you alert your team from here?”  
Alex nodded.  
“What’s the address?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! School has taken the life out of me! Anyway, here's the next chapter! I promise things will get more interesting soon. Thanks for reading! X

Alex and Pyrrha walked quietly along the streets of Argus. People were out early, so Alex had bought Pyrrha a shawl with a hood. Hoods may look suspicious, although, it was better than a hat. Pyrrha’s bright red hair made her stand out and risked her being recognised. Luckily, Pyrrha assured Alex that her mother’s house was not too far away.  
The sun was about to rise as Pyrrha led her away from the rows of buildings and over to an elevator built into the side of a mountain that led to even more houses built into the mountain sides. Pyrrha typed in an address into the keypad of the elevator and the pair stepped inside.  
“Can I ask you something?” Pyrrha asked pulling her hood down.  
“Sure.” Alex replied following suit.  
“How were you able to calm me down like that?”  
Alex assumed she was referring to when they found Pyrrha in that cave.  
“Uh, well… that’s another fairy tale,” Alex said awkwardly. “About magic and wizards and seasons and-”  
“You’re a maiden!” Pyrrha’s sudden outburst surprised Alex. Pyrrha had a hand to her mouth and looked worriedly down at her short friend.  
“How did you-”  
“Ozpin came to me before the fall of Beacon,” Pyrrha started dropping her hand. “Told me that he thought I was next in line to receive the Fall Maiden’s powers.”  
“What?” Alex asked. “He told me that Cinder stole her powers.”  
“Not all of them,” Pyrrha said. “She only managed to take half. The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, was dying and they were afraid that the rest of her power would go to Cinder. Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood created this machine that they hoped would transfer the rest of Amber’s power into me.”  
“And it didn’t work?”  
“No. Cinder shot Amber before the process was complete, although I'm not sure it would have worked in the first place, but-”  
“You had to try.” Alex finished smiling lightly at Pyrrha. “Girl, I like how selfless you are, but you’ve gotta focus on yourself for once. You gave up your life for your school without a second thought, but now that you’ve got a second chance, please don’t go running off again alone. We trained together for a reason, you’ve got to let your friends help you.”  
Pyrrha nodded slowly.  
“Alright. I suppose having a maiden on our side would be quite useful,” Pyrrha grinned. “Which one are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”  
“Summer, but don’t tell anyone please. Only my team knows.”  
Pyrrha nodded understanding.  
They stood in silence for another moment.  
“Did Ozpin ask you to be a Maiden?” Pyrrha asked quietly.  
“No.” Alex said. “One day my powers just sorta showed up. I couldn’t control them at first. Accidently ended up hurting people. Until Ozpin found me of course, offered me a place at Beacon. I was already planning on becoming a Huntress, and trained at Signal, but Ozpin gave me a place at his school so he could watch over me, I guess. He was adamant about the arrangement even though it was a year early. I didn’t understand why, but I have a feeling it had to do with the attack on Beacon.” She took a breath. “Do you...do you think I could have beaten Cinder?”  
“Why are you asking that?” Pyrrha asked concerned. “You could not have predicted the events at Beacon. I was just in the right place at the right time. If you had been there-”  
“I could have stopped her. Or at least helped you.”  
“Don’t say that. It’s nobody’s fault.”  
“But Ozpin-”  
“Ozpin knew his fate when Cinder showed up,” Pyrrha said quietly. “And I knew mine. If you had been there I’m sure together we could have beaten her, but now we have another chance, so let's just focus on that.”  
Alex nodded.  
“Okay.”  
After another awkward pause Pyrrha spoke again. “So, what can you do exactly?”  
“Oh you know, your normal summer-ish Maiden stuff,” Alex said cheekily. “Setting things on fire, creating lightning, controlling wind and the temperature, things like that, but on a much cooler scale. I can also use my energy to calm people down or fire them up. Ozpin said he’s never seen that before, so I’m not sure why I can do that.”  
“Do you like being the Summer Maiden?” Pyrrha asked.  
Alex thought for a moment.  
“I certainly don’t like the responsibility, or the fear of being hunted down if the wrong people knew, but it has its perks. It helps me protect my team. Plus, sometimes I use it for more humane things. Sometimes I make the sun come out from the clouds to make people happy, or produce the slightest breeze so a child can fly a kite. Cheezy, I know, but it feels good to make people happy.”  
Pyrrha gave her a kind smile. Alex continued.  
“Or sometimes miserable. Last year I would set Cardin’s hair on fire just for fun.”  
“That was you!?”  
“You saw? I mean, I barely singed it really!”  
“I’m not complaining! I laughed along with the whole class!”  
“He screamed like a baby. It made me really happy.”  
Their laughter died down as the elevator reached the address of the house. Pyrrha moved out of the view of the doors as Alex looked out to make sure the coast was clear. Nodding to Pyrrha, the two stepped out. Alex had to admit, the view was incredible. The sun was now fully up and gleaming over the wide city of Argus. She could see small specks of people out and about, going through their daily routines. She could see for miles. The vast ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, gleaming in the sunlight. Pyrrha walked up next to her.  
“I’ll never get used to that view,” Pyrrha said.  
“It’s beautiful,” Alex breathed.  
“You should see the sunset,” Pyrrha said. “Come on! My neighbors are going to be out soon.”  
The two walked with past a few houses, Pyrrha with her hood up, and luckily didn’t see anyone out. Alex felt a ping of her scroll in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a message from Vermillion.  
“The others are on their way,” Alex said. “They decided to check out early. They should be here in a half hour.”  
“Great!” Pyrrha said. She turned to a look at a large white house built into the side of the mountain. Alex followed her gaze. The house had many rooms connected to the main building. Over the front door was a large arch that mimicked the shape of the windows. The windows were a royal blue color and the door was a pinkish red. Alex followed Pyrrha to the door. She paused a moment and lifted her hand. Alex waited for her to knock, but she didn’t. Pyrrha dropped both her and and her shoulders.  
“Are you okay?” Alex asked.  
Pyrrha turned to her.  
“What if she’s not awake, or not home, or moved, or died of sadness, or-”  
“Woah, Pyrrha geeze! Stop thinking that! You’re never going to knock if you think like that.” Alex paused. “I think she’s just going to be happy to see you. Don’t think about anything else.”  
Pyrrha was still hesitating. Alex sighed and put her hand on her friends back. A yellow glow came from her hand and worked to calm Pyrrha down. Straightening up, Pyrrha knocked on the door. They waited less than a minute, but it felt like forever. Suddenly, the door opened and a woman stood in the doorway. She was a little taller than Alex, but shorter than Pyrrha. She had vivid green eyes behind her large glasses and her hair was the same as her daughters. Alex couldn’t help but notice how similar they looked. She gave a light smile to Alex as her eyes traveled up and landed on Pyrrha. The woman froze in place. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Pyrrha spoke first.  
“Hi mom.”  
Her mother began to sob and threw herself at Pyrrha. Pyrrha wrapped her strong arms around her mother, holding her tight. Pyrrha too began to cry. They stood their for a few long minutes, just glad to be close again. Alex felt herself begin to tear up as well. Pyrrha’s mother wiped the tears from her daughters face as they broke apart. She held her daughters hand, squeezed Alex’s shoulder and ushered them all inside. Closing the door behind her, Pyrrha’s mother began to cry again. Pyrrha hugged her mother as she cried. Pyrrha turned to Alex and gave her a light smile.  
“Would you like me to make some tea?” Alex asked quietly.  
“No!” Pyrrha’s mother spoke letting her daughter go. “I’ll do it, why don’t you two sit down?”  
“Why don’t I do it?” Pyrrha offered. “Go sit down with Alex, okay?” Pyrrha led her mother to the couch. Pyrrha signaled for Alex to sit too, and she chose a comfortable looking chair across from the couch.  
“So,” Pyrrha’s mother started. “How long have you been with Pyrrha?”  
“You mean after Beacon…” Alex trailed off. “Only a day. I mean I knew her from  
school, and I’d see her in the gym all the time, but yesterday was the first time I saw her since everything went down.”  
“What’s your name, honey?”  
“Uh, Alex. Alex Macedon.”  
“I’m Hestia Nikos, it’s nice to meet you.”  
“Likewise.”  
Pyrrha came in carrying a wooden tray with 3 tea cups, a teapot, a small pitcher of milk, and a bowl of sugar cubes. Alex was grateful she didn’t take long. She wouldn’t of known what to say.  
“So, mom, you’re probably wondering about how I-”  
There was a knock at the door.  
“Oh!” Alex said jumping up. “That’s probably the others. I’ll grab it.”  
“Alex’s team.” Pyrrha explained to her mother.  
Alex ran over to the door and opened it a small amount. To her surprise, it was not VTM. In front of her stood a woman around Hestia’s age with black hair, holding a delicious looking pie. The woman wore a kind smile on her face, but looked confused when she saw Alex.  
“Oh,” she said. “Hestia has guests! No wonder she wanted a pie.”  
Alex just smiled and nodded. Fortunately, Pyrrha’s mom came to her rescue. She opened the door almost fully. Alex turned back searching for Pyrrha, but she was out of sight.  
“Ebony!” Hestia said kindly. “Thank you so much! It looks delicious! How should I pay you?”  
“Don’t worry about that!” Ebony said waving her hand. “This one’s on the house.  
You’ve got company, so enjoy it.”  
Hestia smiled.  
“So who’s this?” Ebony asked. Hestia panicked.”  
“This is uh, Pyrrha’s sister.”  
Alex blinked twice but tried her best to not look surprised.  
“I didn’t know Pyrrha had a sister.” Ebony said.  
“She’s uh…” Hestia paused. “Her half sister, actually. Her father was the donor I chose when I was having Pyrrha.”  
Weird choice of excuses. Alex thought to herself and nodded convincingly. She extended her hand to Ebony, who took it.  
“I’m Alex,” she said kindly. “It’s nice to meet you.”  
“You too!” Ebony smiled.  
“Thank you again for the pie.” Hestia said.  
Ebony turned and began walking away. Alex closed the door and looked at Hestia somewhat confused. Pyrrha came out from the other room.  
“Nice save, sister.” She said cheekly.  
“I had to come up with something!” Hestia said defensively.  
“Mom, you hardly even know the donor!”  
“I do know him! I mean, we don’t have tea every week, but I do know he’s a blonde like Alex.”  
Alex laughed.  
“I think it worked at least. Plus, I’ve always wanted a sister.”  
Pyrrha laughed.  
“That makes two of us.”  
Hestia pretended to be offended.  
“Was I not enough?”  
Pyrrha hugged her mom.  
“More than enough.”  
There was a knock at the door.  
“Now I bet that’s my team.”  
Alex walked over to the door and peaked out the side window. Sure enough, there her team stood, looking around at the other houses and the view of Argus. Alex opened the door and let them in. Pyrrha and Hestia greeted them.  
“Pyrrha,” Mari breathed. “Are you feeling better?”  
“Loads better, thanks.” Pyrrha said. She turned towards Hestia. “This is my mother, Hestia.”  
Vermillion extended his large hand.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nikos.”  
Mari and Tavon both shook her hand.  
“It’s nice to meet all of you.” Hestia returned the gesture. “Come, sit! Pyrrha made tea.”  
The three newcomers looked confused, but began to follow Alex towards the couch.  
“It looks like she took it well.” Mari whispered to Alex.  
“She hasn’t heard the story yet.”  
“Well neither have we.”  
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea too-” Alex didn’t speak fast enough.  
“So Pyrrha,” Tavon started gently. “Uh, how are you back exactly?”  
“Well…” Pyrrha thought for a moment. “I don’t know if you’ll believe me, and mom, don’t freak out, but the God of Light kinda brought me back from the dead.”  
As expected, Pyrrha was left with stunned stares in disbelief. So, she did her best to explain. She talked about dying. She talked about meeting the God of Light. She talked about coming back. She talked about how AVTM had found her in a cave. She finished by talking about how she and Alex walked to their current residence. When she was done, Pyrrha looked up. Her mother had tears in her eyes, and the others were shocked.  
“Wow,” Tavon breathed. “That’s a lot of information in one sitting.”  
Pyrrha laughed in spite of herself.  
“So...you believe me?”  
“We don’t have a good reason not too.” Mari smiled.  
“Plus, we’ve seen some crazy things before,” Vermillion added. “We just want to help you however we can.”  
“It’s good to see you’ve got some great friends, Pyrrha.” Hestia said drying her eyes. “When do you leave?”  
All 5 teens in the room her quite surprised. What kind of mother finds out her daughter is alive and then lets her go back into danger?  
“What?” Hestia said looking around. “You said you had a job to do. I just assumed that you actually wanted to do it.”  
“You’re okay with it?” Pyrrha asked. “Us saving the world?”  
“It’s what you always wanted to do Pyrrha. I love you. I would never want to get in the way of what you wanted.”  
With a yelp of joy, Pyrrha threw herself at her mother.  
“I love you to, mom.”  
After a moment, they broke off the embrace.  
“I would like to know that you at least have somewhat of a plan when it comes to saving the world?” Hestia casked hopeful.  
“Uh, well…” Pyrrha scratched the back of her head.  
“I think our first step will be meeting up with Pyrrha’s team,” Alex cut in. “From there we can work out a real plan.”  
“Oh!” Hestia almost jumped out of her seat. “They were here! About a week ago now. I talked to your partner, uh Joan, Jane, no he was a boy-”  
“Jaune?” Pyrrha asked in disbelief.  
“Yes!” Hestia yelled. “I can't believe I forgot to tell you! We were at your statue and-”  
“I have a statue?” Pyrrha asked, very confused.  
“Yes and it's really cool-anyway, I saw his sister the other day-”  
“Jaune’s sister lives here?”  
“Pyrrha, honey, stop interrupting! Yes, I talked to his sister and she said that he was headed to Atlas with his team and some friends.”  
“That must be RWBY,” Tavon said.  
“Looks like we’re going to Atlas,” Alex said confidently.  
“We should hurry,” Mari said gently. “I mean, if they’ve been gone a week already, there’s a chance they may move again soon.”  
“I agree,” Pyrrha said. “But I’m not ready, exactly. I need some upgrades, and a new weapon. I know someone who can make one in a day.”  
“Then we stay in Argus, just for the night,” Vermillion finished. “Pyrrha gets that weapon, we all get some rest, and we’ll be ready to head out tomorrow morning.”  
They all nodded.  
“But you can’t be seen yet Pyrrha,” Hestia remind them. “How are you going to get a weapon, let alone get to Atlas?”  
“I’ll draw up some blueprints,” Pyrrha said. “As for getting to Atlas…”  
“We can deliver the blueprints to the blacksmith,” Alex said. “And while we’re out, we can see if we can get an airship. There’s a naval base here right?”  
“Yes,” Pyrrha said. “I’ll get those blueprints done now.”  
“And I’m going to make some beds up,” Hestia stood.  
“Oh Ms. Nikos, you really don’t have to.” Mari said kindly.  
“No, no! It’s no trouble, really,” Hestia said. “We have two guest rooms, so you can have your pick. Pyrrha’s never really had a sleepover before.”  
“Mom,” Pyrrha groaned, standing and going to her room to get some paper.  
“We can help with the beds,” Tavon offered. Hestia obliged and led Tavon and Vermillion away.  
“So…” Mari began. “What kind of upgrades are you thinking of?”  
She was hinting at clothing.  
“Oh I was going to see what I have in my closet and figure it out from there,” Pyrrha siad.  
“Let us help! Please?” Mari begged.  
Pyrrha laughed.  
“Okay, sure!”  
Mari dragged Alex into Pyrrha’s room and they sat on her bed. Pyrrha’s room was not so big, but it was cosy. Her closet was filled however, with all sorts of clothes. Armor, dresses, sweaters, designer shoes. Pyrrha looked back at her friends.  
“What? I like to shop, okay?”  
They laughed. Pyrrha pulled out a few things. Her old armor, and some new accessories. She walked behind a screen and began to change. She did a spin as she walked out from behind it, and pretended to pose like a model. Mari clapped. Alex laughed at them both.  
Pyrrha was dressed in black stockings, her usual red skirt, and her old top armor with a long sleeve brown turtleneck underneath.  
“Okay, what makes me look really cool and what makes me look overdone?” Pyrrha asked. Mari evaluated.  
“Loose the stockings,” She said with certainty. “Also…” She walked over to Pyrrha’s closet and pulled out a gold armored skirt. The armour was spread apart so the red of the other skirt could show underneath. “Put this on over.”  
Pyrrha took the skirt and walked back behind the screen. She changed quickly and walked back out again. She slipped her tall, gold boots on. Mari’s choices were certainly good ones. She looked strong, but something was missing.  
“You need one more thing,” Alex said getting up. She pulled a gold headband out of the closet and handed it to Pyrrha. She took it with excitement.  
“Oh!” Pyrrha said. “Let me put my hair up.”  
“Leave it down,” Alex said. “It looks good.”  
Pyrrha hesitated, but then slowly let her hands fall from her hair. She placed the headband on her head and pulled her hair out from under it. Looking back up at them, they took her in. She was the epitome of strength, and a certain glow illuminated her, as if her aura poured out of her.  
“Whelp, she’s back.” Mari said.  
Pyrrha looked at herself in the mirror. Her breath hitched, but she soon relaxed.  
“You okay?” Alex asked.  
Pyrrha nodded.  
“It’s perfect,” She said. “I just can’t believe I’m alive. I can’t wait to get back in the fight.” Pyrrha turned. “Speaking of fighting…” She pulled out an old blueprint and a pencil and began to draw. Alex and Mari watched her trace the old lines of the print and add new ones, improving her weapon and somehow magically matching it to her new outfit. When she was done, she lifted it up and gave it to them.  
“I’ll send you the address to take it to,” Pyrrha said. “Now I think I’m going to take a shower while you find us a way to get to Atlas.”  
They nodded and left Pyrrha’s room. The two said goodbye to Hestia and walked out of the house in search of the military base.

*  
“I just don’t get it!” Mari threw her arms up as they walked. “How are you wearing a tank top and a skirt in 40° weather?”  
“That’s what you don’t get? After everything that just happened?” Alex raised her eyebrows. “The summer maiden keeps me warm. I like this weather. It’s the perfect temperature for me. It’s the summer time that’s way too hot.”  
“You’re talking to a girl who’s always cold.”  
“You’re wearing a crop top.”  
“And a jacket, what's your point?”  
The pair turned the corner of the street and found the blacksmith shop Pyrrha had told them about. The shop sign read Ashton’s Weaponry and Household Appliances.  
“That seems like a contradiction.” Mari said.  
Alex shrugged and walked into the shop. The bell at the top of the door rang as they walked in.  
“Coming!” A dark male voice called. Alex looked around at her surroundings. The shop’s walls were lined with tools and weapons, and metal chairs and stools leaned against them. There was a glass desk in the back of the shop hosting more detailed weapons. They moved closer to it. On the desk was something surprising. There was a photo of a younger Pyrrha - probably 11 or 12 - holding her weapon she still used at Beacon. She was standing next to a large man who was twice her size. Alex figured with must be Ashton. Soon enough the man from the picture walk out from the back. He was a large, burly man with dark hair. He must have been over 7 feet tall, with a serious face and bulky muscles.The girls tried not to be intimidated. “Welcome!” He smiled kindly, relieving some of the tension. “What can I do for you?”  
Alex spoke first.  
“Hi! You must be Ashton? I have some blueprints of a weapon that I was wondering if you could make for us?”  
“Sure!” Ashton answered. “Can I see the prints?”  
Alex unrolled the blueprints and handed them to Ashton. He recognised them immediately and furrowed his thick eyebrows concerned.  
“These are plans for Ms. Nikos’s weapons,” He looked at the girls. “Can I ask where you got them?”  
Alex thought fast.  
“I’m Pyrrha’s half-sister,” Smooth, Alex. “Her mother, Hestia, asked me to bring these to you. They were the last blueprints Pyrrha made.”  
“I wasn’t aware Pyrrha had a half sister.”  
“I live in Vale, and we actually only just met, before…” Alex trailed off for dramatic effect.  
“I knew her as a child,” Ashton said quietly. “When she came to me with weapon plans, she also demanded that she should assist me in making them. I feel like she should be here to weld it with me.”  
“One thing I’ve learned about losing people, is that they’re never really gone. Sure you can’t ask her if this is exactly what she wants in person, but these are her blueprints. She’s already told you exactly what you need to know, and her mother trusted you to make it. That says a lot about who you are, how well you knew Pyrrha.”  
Ashton looked at Alex sullenly.  
“Alright, these should be done by tomorrow morning. I’ll give Hestia a call by tomorrow morning.”  
“Thank you so much.” Alex said graciously. “Do you take cash upfront or-”  
“No. This is no charge.”  
“Are you sure? We can pay.”  
“No, no. You and Hestia have been through enough. Don’t worry about the money.”  
“Thank you. That’s so kind.”  
“It’s nothin’. Come on down tomorrow morning and pick em up. And tell Hestia that if she needs anything, I’ll help in any way possible.”  
Alex nodded and thanked him again. Quietly, the pair left the store. When they were far enough away, Mari spoke first.  
“You should be an actress. Screw being a Huntress, you’re calling is acting.”  
“You’re funny. That’s funny. You’re calling must be comedy.”  
“Oh haha. You know I am funny.”  
The conversation died down as they searched the town for the military base. They decided that Argus was to big for the both of them and they needed to ask for directions. They stopped a kind looking woman on the side of the road.  
“Excuse me?” Alex said kindly. “Would you know how to get to the Argus Military Base?”  
“The trolley I’m waiting for makes a stop close to the base. That's the quickest way there” The woman responded.  
The trolley came shortly after and the pair boarded.  
“This place is crazy big,” Mari said looking out of the trolley.  
“It’s actually the largest city that’s not a kingdom, thanks to Atlas technology.”  
“Eh, Menageries bigger,” Mari hummed. Her shark fanus gills were always hidden under the collar of her shirt, but Mari was still a fanus. Alex had to admit her friend’s fanus traits were pretty cool. She’d never met anyone who could breathe underwater before.  
The two got off at their stop and walked towards the base. The base was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. There were three main towers inside the base, all armed with military guns. There were lines of airships and armed soldiers stationed on every post. The tower guards pointed their guns at them as they approached.  
“Well that’s intimidating,” Mari said faciously.  
The pair moved closer to the wall until they heard;  
“Halt!”  
The girls stopped and looked up. Standing above them were two soldiers who looked exactly alike. They had the same haircut, the same uniform, and the same hat that covered their eyes.  
“Explain your business here!” They shouted together.  
Alex and Mari raised their eyebrows at each other.  
“Some friends of ours just left for Altas about a week ago. We have important information to deliver to them, and to General Ironwood.”  
“Who are these friends you speak of?” They asked.  
“They include Weiss Schnee,” Mari said.  
“Weiss Schnee is a troublemaker!” They shouted. “However, our commanding officer let Ms. Schnee though with her friends as they saved the city of Argus! We will converse with her!” They turned and marched away to get their officer.  
“They’re a little…creepy,” Mari said.  
“I wonder who their commanding officer is.”  
As if on cue, the two men returned with three other women. One was an older woman who was incredibly short, another was quite tall with fiery ginger hair wearing a blue and orange military uniform, and the third Alex recognised immediately. It was Winter Schnee. She was more intimidating now than she had been when Alex had seen her at the Vytal festival.  
“Why are there more self-proclaimed teenage huntresses at my military base?!” The short lady yelled. “I am Caroline Cordovan! Commanding officer of this base! State your business here!”  
“We’re looking for Weiss Schnee and her team. We have confidential information to bring her and General Ironwood. We knew only you, being the great Atlas militia that you are could help us,” Alex could tell these people were conceded. She wanted to use it against them.  
“You’re looking for my sister?” Winter asked. “We were told she was here, but apparently she was sent off to Atlas last week. If you can give me that confidential information, then maybe we’ll take you along.”  
Alex took a breath as she thought.  
“Or we could just take them.” The ginger haired woman interjected.  
“Lieutenant Vango-” Winter started angrily.  
“Com’on Winter, they just wanna see their friends. I think-”  
“Excuse me, did you say your last name was Vango?” Alex asked curiously. “Would you happen to be related to Vermillion Vango?”  
“You know Millie!” The woman got excited. “He’s my brother!”  
“You’re kidding.” Mari said.  
“He’s my partner from Beacon,” Alex said. “He’s here, and he’d be coming with us.”  
“I’m Veronica! You must me two members of team AVTM, right?” Veronica asked.  
“Yes! I’m Alex Macedon, and this is my teammate Marina Read. Vermillion and Tavon are across town.”  
Veronica turned to Winter and gave her a pleading look. Winter gave in.  
“We’ll meet with them, and then we’ll decide whether to let them in to Atlas,” Winter said. She turned to Alex. “So what is this information you speak of?”  
Alex looked at Mari who gave her a look of warning. Alex decided not to give away Pyrrha, but instead use an important piece of her story.  
“It has to do with what’s hidden at every Academy.”  
Winter froze, even more than before.  
“Where did you say the rest of your team was?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, but it's here! We're finally getting to the ACTION in this chapter! Things are about to get more complicated for our heroes, but help is not too far away! Let me know what you think. Enjoy! :)

Winter and Veronica had personally driven Alex and Mari back across town towards their team. Alex had first texted Pyrrha of course, and together decided it was in their best interest to tell Winter she was alive. Maybe with Vermillion’s sister on their side, they could even keep it private for as long as they need. 

After exchanging some small talk in the car and the elevator up to Pyrrha’s house, the four women knocked on the door. Hestia opened it with a smile. She looked from Alex and Mari to Veronica and Winter standing behind them. 

“You must be the military officers Alex told us about,” Hestia said kindly. “Please, come in.”

Hestia led them in. Vermillion and Tavon stood in the living room chatting. 

“Millie!” Veronica launched herself at her brother who grimaced.

“Oh no.”  
Veronica wrapped Vermillion in a big hug, almost pulling him down 10 inches to her size.

“Hi Veronica.”

“It’s been so long! How have you been?”

“Good - or better,” Vermillion started. “Why are you here?”

“Winter and I were tasked with overseeing the transport of ships here after the whole Leviathan incident a week ago and then Alex and Mari came to the base and talked to us about some special info you guys know which was kinda hilarious - no offense, but actually we would really like to know about it because Winter’s kinda freaking out and Winter never freaks out so-”

“I am not freaking out!” Winter said harshly.

“Yeah you are. I know you well enough by now to know when you freak out.”

Winter rolled her eyes. 

“Onica, can we please focus?” Winter said. “Ms. Macedon, how do you know about the relics?”

“Hey mom have you seen my-” Pyrrha walked out of her room in a red bathrobe while drying her long hair. Everyone stared at her. “Oh, um maybe I’ll just go-”  
“No.” Winter was completely done. “No. You’re supposed to be dead. You…” She pointed a finger at Alex. “Know about relics that less than 10 other people on Remnant know about, and my sister has apparently been traveling with the drunken idiot that is Qrow Branwen, so yes Onica I may be freaking out a little so you’re all going to sit down and explain what in the hell is going on.”

No one complained. They all sat. Winter and Veronica joined them on the couch. 

“So, Ms. Macedon, please begin.” Winter gestured.

“Okay. Well first of all Alex is fine, and secondly, don’t get mad, but we used a friend’s semblance of mind control to get Qrow to tell us why there would be an attack on Beacon in the first place.”

“What?!” 

“That's...resourceful.” Veronica said.

“Resourceful? That has to be illegal.” Winter countered.

“I don’t know if it is if you’re using a semblance.”

“Whatever. Who has this semblance?”

“We’re not telling you, but you can be assured they’d never use it to harm others.” Alex said.

“I can’t be assured simply from your judgement of character, that this person isn’t a danger to-”

“They’re not.” Alex said with assurance. “I know you don’t trust me, but we will not tell you this person's name, so I suggest you move on.”

Winter took a breath and was about to argue back when Veronica cut her off.

“What did he tell you exactly?”

“He told us about a woman named Salem, how she wanted these objects - these relics that were hidden at the academies because they possess power. That if they were all brought back together they could bring an even greater power presence to Remnant.” 

“So great, you know everything.” Winter said defeated. She then looked as if she remembered something. “You!” She directed her attention to Pyrrha. “You died.”

“That’s pretty blunt, Win.” Veronica said.

“You’re not wrong.” Pyrrha shrugged. She told her story for the third time, again leaving nothing out. Again, she was met with silence.

“Wicked.” Veronica breathed, impressed.

Winter took a deep breath and then buried her face in her hands. It was the first time she had broken posture since they had met. Honestly, it was scarier than her normal appearance.

“Gods, Ironwood is going to kill me.”

Veronica rubbed Winter’s back in circles.

“It’s not your fault they know, Win. It’s Qrows. I’m willing to be that if he’s with your sister they probably know too, maybe even more. If this is going to be anyone’s head it’ll be Qrows, I promise.”

Winter straightened up.

“If I bring you to Ironwood when you know this information, he will blame me. Or Veronica. You must promise me that you will tell him the whole truth. There are things you don’t know about him, about your Professor Ozpin. If he is generous, he may be able to fill in some of the blanks.” Winter took a breath. “I am a Colonial of the Atlas military through and through, however at the moment I am more concerned with the safety of my sister. So, we will break - or well, bend the rules just a little so that you can speak with Ironwood, and I can see Weiss. I will tell him the reason we are returning so soon is because we have found individuals with information regarding a sensitive topic, and we will take you to him.” 

There was excited gasps all over the room. 

“However,” Winter began again. “I can not guarantee that Ironwood will be so understanding. He will force you to give the name of the mind reader, he might arrest you for knowing too much information. These things are so secretive that they’re dangerous to anyone who knows them. If you get on Ironwood’s bad side, you will not find forgiveness, and we can not do anything to help you. Understand?”  
Everyone nodded quietly.  
“Also,” Winter added. “Please keep me and Onica out of it. We were just your transportation, okay?”

When they all nodded again, Winer stood.

“Great. We’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. 6 AM sharp. Sleep well.”

With that Winter turned and walked out the door. Veronica gave her brother another hug.

“See you tomorrow guys!”

“Onica!” Winter called.

Veronica waved goodbye and left the house.

Well that went well." Tavon said happily. 

"Sort of," Alex said. "We may be able to get to Atlas, but there's no guarantees after that. We're going to need to be careful. We don't need Salem after us."

Alex looked at her partner who was still looking at the closed door.

"You okay, V?" She asked.

Vermillion turned around to look at her.

"Did you see that?" He asked.

"See what?"

"The way they interacted with each other. Veronica's always been a bit of a flirt, but that was like major relationship conformation right there."

"You think your sister is dating Winter Schnee?" Mari laughed.

"Yes!" Vermillion persisted. "Veronica never lets anyone call her "Onica"! No one! And Winter's usually all stoic and serious, and yet she let Veronica comfort her! Is that not weird to anyone else?"

They all shook their heads. Vermillion continued.

"I bet Veronica hasn't even told Winter that she's a Faunus.”

 

“Wait. Veronica is a faunus?” Alex asked. 

“I knew it!” Mari exclaimed. “I had a feeling!”

“Yes.” Vermillion continued. “Like my mom, she’s a cat faunus with claws. She can hide from people. She probably hasn’t even told Winter.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re freaking out about it.” Alex pointed out.

Vermillion shuffled his feet and muttered; “I just don’t want Jaques Schnee as a father-in-law.”

“Yeah that’s a fair point.” Alex patted him on the back and walked away to leave her partner still gawking at the door.

*

Night changed to morning sooner than anyone would have liked. Alex was the first one to wake. After taking a quick look at her sleeping partner in the other bed, she hopped in the shower and changed for the day. When she came out, V was up, so Alex left the room to make breakfast while he showered. When she came to the kitchen, Hesita and Pyrrha were already cooking pancakes. Alex made herself useful by making tea and packing for the day. She tried to stay distant from the mother daughter pair, to give them time to themselves, but failed and gave in when Hestia asked her if she wanted to make a pancake.

Breakfast was ready just as the others finished changing and making the beds. They set the table and ate as slowly as time would let them. It was obvious that no one really wanted to leave. The uncertainty of the future scared them all, especially Pyrrha’s mom. After breakfast, Winter and Veronica walked through the door at exactly 6:00 AM. 

“We brought a larger car this time.” Veronica said with a smile. “It’ll be easier to hide Pyrrha, and you can come to the base with use, Ms. Nikos! One of our officers will give you an escort back.”

“That would be lovely!” Hestia said leaning closer to her daughter. “Thank you.”

With bags packed, the group loaded themselves into the large black car that was hardly visible against the dark morning.

As they drove off, Pyrrha said; “Oh, Ms. Schnee? We need to make a quick stop first.”

*  
“You told him Pyrrha was your sister?” Hestia raised her eyebrows at Alex as they walked towards Ashton’s Weaponry and Household Appliances. 

“He was skeptical about how we got the blueprints. That’s why I thought it’d be better if you came with me this time.” Alex said.

The two women stepped into the shop. It was mostly dark, except for a small light peeking out from the back room.

“Do you think he’s even done with it?” Alex asked. “I mean we only gave him like, a day.”

“I’m sure he’s pretty close. And besides, whatever he didn’t finish Pyrrha can do herself.”

Alexx nodded, stepping up to the front desk. She rung the bell, and without a second to spare, Ashton came out of the back room. He turned on the light and let out a small gasp. Coming around the desk he gave a firm hug to Hestia who returned the gesture wholeheartedly.

“Hestia!” Ashton said. “Long time no see.”

“It’s been too long, Ash.” Hestia replied kindly. “How are you?”

“Not bad, meself.” Ashton said. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You too. How’s the new weapon coming along?” Hestia asked.

“Great!” Ashton exclaimed. “Spent the whole night work’en on it. It felt like she was right there with me building it.” He wiped his eyes.

“She is.” Hestia put a hand on his shoulder.

Ashton nodded. “I’ll go grab it for ya.” Ashton hurried to the back room and quickly returned, carrying a round object covered by a red case, and a long object covered in a red sheath. He handed Alex the round object. Slowly, Ashton pulled out a red and gold spear from the sheath. It was almost identical to Pyrrha’s first one, but with some new quirks. Ashton hit a button on the grip of the spear, and a blade on each side popped out in front of the handel. He quickly hit the button again and they retracted. He spun the spear across his arm as Pyrrha used to, and the spear folded into a rifle with a larger scope. He then re-folded it, making the spear shorter. He hit a second button under the handle and the front of the spear split in two. He spun the second half of the spear backwards, creating a dual sided spear. Looking at Alex and Hestia, he smiled and put the spear into the sheath. 

“Check out the shield.” Ashton said. 

Alex carefully removed the shield from the case and slipped it onto her wrist. It was a little heavy for her, but not for Pyrrha. It had the same cut outs as the last shield, and the four curls on the outside stayed. There were new designs too. Eight lines divided the shields into sections, the lines leading to Pyrrha’s emblem in the center of the shield. It was beautiful work, and Alex silently wished she could have asked him to clean up her weapon, Aesta Solis. Hestia almost began to cry. She hugged Ashton again. “Thank you so much.” She said kindly.

“Of course.” Ashton said. “And if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

“How about tea? Tomorrow?”

“That sounds lovely.” Ashton gave her a nod. 

Hestia looked at Alex and back at Ashton. “We’d better get going. I have to get Alex back home today.”

Alex shook Ashton’s hand. “It was nice to meet you, sir.”

“You as well, little miss.”

They thanked him again and walked out the door. 

“She went to him by herself you know.”

“What?” Alex asked Hestia.

“She decided she wanted to be a huntress when she was 9 years old. So she went to his store and asked him to build her a weapon.” Hestia recalled. 

“What did you do when she came home with it?” Alex laughed. 

“I got her fighting lessons. She wanted to be a huntress, and I was going to be with her every step of the way.”

The pair slipped back into the car and handed the new weapons to Pyrrha, who took them with great excitement. She slipped the front of the spear out of the sheath and ran her fingers across the designs. 

“Put it away while we're driving, honey. You could put someone’s eye out with that.” Hestia said.

Pyrrha gently rolled her eyes, but slipped it back into the sheath.

“Sorry! I’m just so excited.”

“I know.” Hestia rubbed her back.

Once again, they were driving. Winter was speeding 20 miles an hour over the speed limit until they arrived. She really wanted to get going. 

The gates opened as they pulled into the base, and Winter pulled all the way up to the airship. She told Pyrrha to put on her cloak and got out of the car. Veronica followed. Pyrrha did as she was told and they all shuffled out of the car. Team AVTM said their thank you’s to Hestia and then gave her and Pyrrha some privacy.

Pyrrha hugged her mother who began to cry. Pyrrha looked her mother in the eyes and broke down too, bending her knees so she could rest her head on her mother’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry.” Pyrrha started. “I don’t want to leave you-”

“It’s okay.” Hestia pulled away slightly and cupped her daughter’s cheek with her hand. “You’re a huntress. This is what you have to do. You love helping people, and I will never stop you from doing something you love.”

Hestia paused as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Just, try to keep in contact if you can? If you get to a CCT Tower and can call.”

“Of course, mom.” 

“And please try to stay safe? I would really love to see you again when you get back.”

“You will.” Pyrrha said determined. “I will come back, I promise.”

“Well, I guess you better get going then. The sooner you do your job, the sooner you get back.”

“I’ll see you soon, mom.” Pyrrha gave her another hug and turned. 

“Oh wait!” Hestia called after her. She pulled out an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Pyrrha. Pyrrha looked inside and let out a small gasp. Inside the letter was thousands of bills of lien. “Mom, where did you get this?” 

“Well, you see, after you passed, Pumpkin Pete’s kept your face on the cereal box to honor you, and they gave me 30% of the profits, which were a lot so I wanted you to have enough for your trip.”

Pyrrha let out a breath of laughter. “But this is way more than we need.”

“Well I don’t need it! Just keep it, take your friends to dinner.” Hestia kissed her daughter on the forehead. “I love you, Pyrrha.”  
“I love you too, mom.”

After one more hug the two split apart and Hestia watched as Pyrrha followed her friends into the airship.

“Please come home.” Hestia whispered to herself as she got back into the car. 

*  
They had been in the air for about an hour. Vermillion hadn't taken his eyes away from his sister, trying to see the interactions between her and the white haired woman he was highly suspected of. Mari had decided to take a nap on Tavon’s shoulder while he played a video game on his scroll. Pyrrha was still admiring her new weapons, while Alex kept her eyes out the window, absentmindedly staring at the rising sun. As it rose higher in the sky, Alex noticed something. The inside of the airship should have been getting warmer, but it felt colder now than when they had first set off. She looked out the window for any visible sign of something suspicious, but saw nothing. All of a sudden, a loud beeping sound came from the front of the airship.

“Damnit.” Winter whispered. 

Veronica turned to AVTM and Pyrrha. “We’ve got incoming.”

“What is it?” Mari asked. 

“A mix of grimm. Lancers, griffons, and nevermores. About thirty of them.” Winter responded.

“We can’t outrun that!” Tavon exclaimed. “What do we do?”

“You sit down and put your seatbelts on!” Winter yelled. 

Alex thought. “No.” She said flatly. “Tavon’s right, we can’t outrun them. Put the back of the ship down. We can shoot them from here.”

“No way! I will not let you fall out of an airship!” Winter yelled.

“We can do this! It’s the only shot we’ve got!” Alex yelled back. She turned to Tavon. “We need a backstop.”

Nodding, Tavon shot 3 arrows with rope at one side of the airship. Alex shot the other ends of the rope with ice dust, securing them to the opposite side of the ship. 

“Drop the back!” Alex yelled. Veronica flipped a switch and the back of the airship flew open. She then raced out of her seat to help the kids in the back. Alex, Tavon, Mari and Pyrrha all shot at the incoming grimm, while Vermillion and Veronica made sure the ropes wouldn’t break. They’d picked off only three when V activated his semblance. He picked a temporary tattoo off his body of a swarm of lancer-like wasps. He made all six about four feet wide and tall, so he didn’t waste all is aura. They flew off, taking out a few of the grimm before being engulfed by a griffon. The grimm were surrounding them. A lancer hooked the airship and tried to pull it towards its body. Winter pulled hard on the wheel in the opposite direction, but it was no use. The vehicle wasn’t strong enough. Without thinking, Alex jumped over the ropes and climbed around the airship, hanging on for dear life, ignoring the shouts from her friends. In a second, Veronica was out after her, but Alex was faster. She leaped towards the hook of the lancer and sliced it off with her sword. It cried out and came towards her, but Veronica stepped in front. In less than a second, Veronica had pulled out a pen and clicked the end of it twice. Somehow, the small pen began to unfold itself, growing in size and turning into a large four sided axe. With one smooth swing, Veronica hit the lancer right in the stomach, killing it for good. Alex heard a high pitched scream from the other side of the airship and saw a griffon coming at her. She ran for it, slicing up and down, decapitating the creature. Another one came after her. She flipped her sword in her hand. The bottom of the sword retracted to reveal hover technology. She jumped on, did a kick flip on top of the griffon’s head, and hopped off the airship and towards the next grimm. She could hear Veronica calling her name, but kept fighting the grimm around her. She jumped back onto the airship with Veronica and ran over to the back of the ship. She peeked her head down to see her friends.

“How ya doing?” She asked.

“Probably better than you!” V answered.

“Yeah you’re right.” Alex threw her head back just in time to see a nevermore’s claws coming straight for her. She tried to run, but the nevermore grabbed her waist and began to carry her off. She struggled to get out of its grip, but it stopped and flapped its wings towards the sky, not moving farther away, but staying in the air. It pulled it’s claws up to its beak, Alex’s head right in line with it. It gave a high pitched scream and Alex tried to pull away. It’s beak came down on her, she could see the inside of its mouth over her, knowing she was about to die. All of a sudden, a snowstorm broke out over the nevermore. It screamed as it was blinded by the snow around it. 

“What?” Alex breathed. Suddenly, the nevermore let her go. She screamed as she fell through the sky, tumbling fast. She closed her eyes as she felt herself begin to fade to black, when a warm hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her upwards even faster than she fell. She looked up. A young woman, maybe in her late 20s, was pulling her up towards the airship. Somehow this woman was flying. Icy wind gusts propelled her feet upwards, and she gently sat Alex down on top of the ship. Alex looked around. She saw Veronica, the woman in front of her, and one more man a little older than this new woman that Alex didn’t recognise. 

“Are you okay?” The woman asked. Her voice sounded like melting ice cream. She was gentle, and had a kind, but beautiful face. She had short, platinum blonde hair, seafoam green eyes, and smelled like lemon cake and vanilla coffee. For a brief moment, Alex thought she recognised her.

Alex nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

The woman looked around.

“Davan!” She called. The man ran over to her. “Keep an eye on her. I’ll finish off the last ones.”

“Be careful.” He called after her.

He looked at Alex. “Huntress girlfriends, ya know?”

Alex looked at him confused. She’d seen him before. “Aren’t you-?” She was cut off by another scream of a nevermore as the women flew at it. She grabbed the collapsed weapon on her back and folded it into the full thing. It was a long dual sided scythe, with each blade shaped like a crescent moon. She sliced it in half, and propelled herself to another one, killing it the same way. There were only about ten left. Alex turned her sword into a gun and shot at the remaining grimm along with her friends. The woman took care of the rest, turning the grimm to dust with one hit. Alex knew there was something off about her. She didn’t look like any kind of huntress Alex had ever seen. It was like she was using magic to fly, and the elements bent to her will. As far as Alex knew, those kinds of powers were only used by - no way. Alex thought to herself. After the last grimm was killed, she flipped backwards, spun in the air and landed next to Alex. She put her weapon away.

“You still doing okay?” The woman asked. “Sorry I couldn’t introduce myself earlier. I’m -”

“The Winter Maiden.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AVTM and RWBY have a lot of explaining to do, but soon enough they'll be ready for the real challenge! Enjoy! (The next chapter is gonna be fun)
> 
> Also, I'm trying to develop the OC's a bit more, but next chapter I am going to dive into the cannon characters relationships. If you have any questions about my OCs, please ask! I'd love to discuss them! :)

Chapter 4

“Wait a second. So you’re the actual Winter Maiden?” Mari asked, eyebrows raised. Again, they were flying. Winter scowled quietly to herself while Veronica offered moral support. The two newest members of the team had joined them inside the airship. The woman had helped Alex sit on one of the benches and Vermillion sat next to her to rub her back gently. The Maiden and the man acknowledged Pyrrha with surprise, but didn’t ask.

“The one and only! I’m Alason Goldstein!” The new Maiden said kindly. “This is my boyfriend, Davan.”

“You’re Davan Haze.” Alex said as she leaned into her partner for comfort. “The actor. I’m a big fan.”

Davan smiled. “I’m a big fan of yours too, actually. I binged every episode of Big Lies, Little Truths. It’s my favorite show.”

“Oh. Well thank you. You play my favorite character in Stranger Grimm.” Alex replied, taken aback.

“Well, in the real world you and Ala are the real stars. I’m just along for the ride.” Davan replied. 

“I just can’t believe it.” Alex said. “Meeting a Maiden. That’s so cool.” She left out the part about how she was also a Maiden, and the part about how she no longer felt alone. 

“Speaking of,” Alason said. “How did you know?” 

“Professor Ozpin used to tell us fantasies about the Maidens.” Alex lied. “I just guessed I suppose.” None of her friends corrected her. Winter and Veronica didn’t know she was the Summer Maiden, and she wanted to keep it that way.

If Alason saw through her lie, she didn’t show it. “I’m just glad you’re all okay.” She said. “We were in a boat below you and heard the gunfire. Are you headed to Atlas?”

The teens nodded.

“Us too!” Alason smiled. “We’ve been trying to avoid being seen by the military for weeks now, but this is much easier.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Winter called back bluntly. “This little field trip won’t be happening again.”

“Why are you headed over to Atlas then?” Davan asked. “Does it have something to do with the fact that you’re alive?” He looked at Pyrrha, who grinned back at him.

“A little.” Pyrrha replied. “My team and our other friends are in Atlas right now. We want to get back together, especially since the world seems to be getting more dangerous.”

Ala nodded. “You’re right about that. You never know, with all the military back, Atlas could be a safe haven, but it could also be a target. That’s why D and I are headed there, just in case.”

Alex looked down, comparing her own life to Ala’s and thinking about what kind of fight she may be in for. Alason noticed.

“But don’t worry!” Alason said. “After seeing you fight today, I can tell that you won’t have any problems.”

“Yeah,” Mari started. “We won’t have any problems with you around. If you’re also headed to Atlas, you should stick with us. We also thought there would be a threat to Atlas, so if we’re on the same page, and you helped us, this little field trip may have just gotten a hell of a lot easier.”

Davan and Alason exchanged knowing looks.

“We’d love to stick around, if you’d have us.” Davan said.

“We’re extremely grateful for the ride.” Alason added. “We’ll help you in whatever way we can when we get there.”

“Then you’d better start preparing.” Veronica said to them. “We’re here.”

*

Winter landed and parked the ship as close to the Atlas military airport building as possible. She was going to take them down the private entrance, where only herself, General Ironwood, and a few other “classified” people were allowed. This way hardly anyone would see them, and Pyrrha would be safer. 

From there, Winter loaded them onto a train and into the first class car, which was reserved mostly for General Ironwood’s traveling meetings. They sat down in the large comfortable chairs and breathed out a sigh of happiness.

Alex checked her scroll. “Hey guys! I’ve got service! We can call RWBY and the others!” She received an overjoyed response, and clicked on Ruby’s photo icon. The scroll rang once, twice, three times, until Ruby’s high pitched excited voice screamed over the speaker. 

“ALEX!” Ruby yelled. “HOW ARE YOU CALLING? WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT’S GOING ON?”

In the background, she could hear the rest of Ruby’s team. Weiss aggressively telling Ruby to stop yelling, Blake asking about Alex, and Yang repeating “is she here? Is she here? Is she here?”

“Ruby!” Alex laughed. “We just arrived in Atlas! Where are you?”

“We’re in a hotel in the upper district of Atlas! We’ll send you the location!” Ruby squealed. “How did you get here? Atlas closed its borders months ago!”

“It's a long story.” Alex said.

“Which you have to share with us when you get here!” They heard Weiss say into the phone. 

“Of course.” Alex said. “Although I think you’re going to be somewhat distracted.” She shot a kind look at Pyrrha.  
.  
“Oh we can’t wait to see you! Hurry up and get here!” Ruby said.

“On our way!”

Alex hung up the scroll. A message from Weiss came through the scroll, telling them their location.

When the train stopped, Winter ushered them into a large army car. Alex became the backseat navigator, as Winter sped through the streets of upper-Atlas. 

“I hate it here.” Vermillion muttered, looking out the window.

“What about it? The cold or the people?” His sister asked.

He shrugged. “It just doesn’t feel like home.”

Veronica muttered a quiet agreement, and Winter acknowledged her solemnly before pulling her eyes back to the road.

They pulled into the large lot of the hotel. It was all white, with light blue windows, and Alex counted 15 floors of rooms. Three large arches stood proudly in front of the grandiose doors detailed with Atlas’s logo. 

Surprisingly, only two cars sat in the parking lot. It almost looked like a wasteland.

“You sure this is the place?” Tavon asked.

“This is it.” Winter stated. “This is one of the best hotels in Atlas. I wouldn’t expect anything less from my sister. Plus, Atlas’s borders are closed, remember? No one’s going on vacation here.”

The group jumped out of the car and made their way to the doors. As the others walked in, Pyrrha stopped suddenly. Alex turned to look at her.

“You okay?” Alex asked, surprised.

“I - I just don’t know how they’re going to react.” Pyrrha said. “What if they don’t believe it’s me?”

“You’ll be standing in front of them. They will be nothing but overjoyed that you’re back.” Alex said. “They’re your best friends Pyrrha. They won’t care how you came back, they’ll care that you’re alive. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Pyrrha took a deep breath. “Okay. You’re right. It’s been so long, I think I just might be a little scared.”

“You’ve never let that hold you back before.” Alex smiled, urging Pyrrha forward. Pyrrha smiled back, and walked towards the hotel doors. Alason held them open for Alex who followed Pyrrha inside.

“So did you become a therapist when you became a maiden or have you always been able to comfort people?” Alason whispered.

“What? How did you-?” Alex began. Alason giggled.

“No one knows about the Maidens. Plus, Ozpin would never give up information like that, so I figured you’re like me.” Alason smiled. “You must be Summer.”

“Yeah. So you must know who Spring is?”

Alason shook her head. “Nope! But your logo is a sun, so just a lucky guess I suppose.”

“Alex!” Mari called. “Is this what your house looks like?”

The hotel’s ceiling was decorated with traditional Atlas designs. The floor was made out of expensive wood, and was almost newly polished. White furniture sat on the blue carpet of the lobby, and a large chandelier hung in the center. 

Alex’s team liked to poke fun at the fact that she was a movie star. Alex rolled her eyes.

“My house was double the size of this place.” Alex said facetiously. “I even had a bowling alley.”

That was only half false - Alex’s movie star cousin Sky had built a single bowling alley in her hallway.  
Alex noticed the check in desk to the left side of the lobby. “Tavon, Mari - go sit with Pyrrha over there. We’ll see if we can find out what room RWBY is in.”

The three nodded and walked over to the furniture. Winter walked up to the front desk and rang a small bell that said, “Ring for Assistance.” A minute later, a short, brunette woman came rushing out from the back and hurried over to them. When she saw Winter, she paled.

“Ms. Schnee! I’m so sorry, I wasn’t expecting any visitors today - or at all really.” The woman said.

“My sister is staying here with some friends, and we are here to see her. Could you tell us what room number they’re in?” Winter asked.

“Of course!” The woman checked her computer. “Ms. Schnee is in room 1515, and the other’s with her are staying in rooms right next door.”

“Thank you.” Winter said. “I see you don’t have to many visitors, so would you be able to get three more rooms next to my sister’s room?”

“Yes! I can set that up for you right now. How many people will be staying in each room?” The woman asked.

“Two per room, but make extra keys.” Winter answered.

Once the woman gave them the room keys, they all rode the large, white doored elevator to the top floor. The elevator dinged, the door opened, and there stood Ruby Rose, ready to greet them. 

“AVTM!!” Ruby yelled. She launched herself at the first person she saw, which was Vermillion. She wrapped herself around him in a tight bear hug. He carried her out of the elevator and into the hallway so the others could get out. Down the hall, a door opened, and three more heads popped out. Weiss, Blake, and Yang sprinted down the hallway towards the group. Yang threw herself at Alex and lifted her off the ground. Blake stood back to give them some space, but took all of them in. Weiss came to a full stop when she saw Winter. Tears sprang from her eyes. Winter threw her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly, muttering apologies that only Weiss’s ears could hear. 

Blake gently wrapped her arms around the other faunus, Mari, as Yang fist bumped and hugged Tavon. When Blake let go of Mari, she noticed an orange haired woman, a light haired woman and a man dressed in maroon. She didn’t recognise any of them. Her eyes scanned something moving behind them. Blake’s ears perked up as she spotted a flash of red, and her own yellow eyes clashed with green. That can’t be… Blake thought.

“Pyrrha?” Blake breathed. Time seemed to stop. Everyone looked where Blake’s eyes were staring. Slowly, Pyrrha stepped out from behind Davon, fresh tears sprouting from her eyes.

“H-Hello again.” She said gently. 

Ruby burst into tears. “No. That’s-that’s impossible. I watched-I saw you…” Ruby walked closer to Pyrrha. She put her hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder. She gripped harder as she shuddered, fully bawling her eyes out. Pyrrha grabbed her and pulled her close, crying in a similar fashion. Blake slowly made her way over to them. Hands shaking, she wrapped her arms around the pair or red heads. Yang followed suit, and finally Weiss. When they broke apart they were crying less, but were still obviously upset.

“How-how are you here?” Yang asked.

“It’s a long story.” Pyrrha said. She looked around. “Which I was going to tell you all together. Where’s my team?”

“They went shopping.” Weiss replied. “We told them you would be here. Or well-not you, but you know. They should be back soon.”

Pyrrha nodded.

“But it’s really...you?” Weiss asked. “I mean, how did you survive? Ruby told us you sort of...turned to ash.”

“I mean, I guess I did.” Pyrrha said rubbing the back of her head. “I’ve told the story probably three times in the past day and a half.”

“Then save it until they’re all back. We’ve got a lot to fill you in on anyway.” Ruby said.

Pyrrha looked at her friends until her eyes landed on Yang. “Yang, your arm…”

“Oh yeah! Forgot you didn’t know about that!” Yang smiled and flexed her metal arm. “It was cut off during the Fall of Beacon.” Pyrrha looked at her sadly. Yang continued. “But it’s okay! The new one’s pretty great, and I mean I didn’t die-”

“Yang!” Weiss exclaimed. Blake elbowed Yang gently.

“I didn’t mean, well, you know!” Yang tried. 

Pyrrha giggled. “I’m just so glad that you’re all okay.”

“Why don’t we go to our room.” Blake offered. “I just made some tea.” 

They all moved into room 1516, directly across from Weiss’s room. Alex noticed that out of the two beds, only one had been slept in for that whole week. They all sat in the large living room. It had a five person couch, two recliners, and two cushioned chairs. Ruby, Weiss, Winter, Veronica, and Vermillion took the couch, while Tavon and Mari shared a chair. Pyrrha sat in the other chair, and Alex let Davon and Alason take the last two, while she sat on the abnormally comfortable carpet, leaning on Alason’s chair. Blake and Yang quickly brought out a tray of tea with cups for each of them.

“So,” Alex began. “Who wants to start?”

“I will!” Ruby raised her hand. “Okay, so basically, RWBY spit up after Beacon fell, and then Jaune, Ren, Nora and I went on a super long hike from Patch to Mistral, and turns out Weiss had made a daring escape from Atlas to come to Mistral, but then got kidnapped by Yang’s mom, which turned out to be a good thing because Yang came along and together they found me and the others, and then Blake who was in Menagerie came and found us at Haven when it was attacked, but we saved it and picked up this relic thing that Ozpin told us to find, although we don’t really trust him anymore, and then we tried to come to Atlas but were almost killed by Apathy, and then by a giant robot, and then by a Leviathan, and Blake and Yang had a run in with Adam, but everything was okay because we saved Argus and came here to this super nice hotel!”

Ruby took a giant breath of air.

Everyone was confused.

“I have, multiple questions.” Alex said, raising a finger.

“You saw Adam?” Mari asked. “Why was he in Argus?”

Blake looked down. Yang put her hand on her back.

“He stalked me from Mistral. He’s been trying to kill me for a while, so I think he was desperate this time.” Blake said.

“He stalked you all the way from Mistral?” Ala asked.

Blake nodded. “After the attack on Haven, I thought he ran away, but he followed me instead.”

“Why does he want to kill you?” Ala pressed gently.  
Blake seemed to retreat into herself. “We dated for a while, but he started hurting - killing people and I didn’t want to be apart of it. So I left, and he’s been chasing me ever since.”

“Where is he now?” Mari asked.

“He’s uh…” Blake trailed off.

“He’s gone.” Yang finished. “We managed to take him out.”

“Oh.” Mari breathed. “Nice job then.”

“Are you guys okay?” Alex asked the pair. She noticed Yang instinctively take Blake’s hand.

“We’re...dealing with it together.” Yang answered. 

Alex smiled at them. “You said something about Ozpin, Ruby. What do you mean you don’t trust him any more?”

“This is gonna sound crazy,” Ruby said. “But Ozpin can come back from the dead.”

As if on cue, the door swung open, and team JNR, a tanned boy, Ruby’s Uncle Qrow, and an elderly woman pushed through the door.

“We got here as fast as we could. Sorry if we’re-” Jaune trailed off as he saw her. The many shopping bags he was holding fell to the floor. Nora put a hand to her mouth and Ren froze. What was only seconds felt like hours as no one spoke. Pyrrha couldn’t pull her eyes away from her teammates. She felt weak, as if she was going to pass out, until Jaune broke the silence.

“Pyrrha?” Tears sprang to his eyes. When she noticed, Pyrrha jumped from her chair and launched herself at Jaune, wrapping her arms around him. Nora and Ren joined the hug, hanging onto each other for support. When they broke apart Jaune pushed Pyrrha’s hair back from the side of her tear stricken face. 

“Jaune.” Pyrrha whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, no Pyrrha.” Jaune whispered back. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

The pair gently connected foreheads. 

“I can’t believe it’s really you.” Jaune said. 

Pyrrha smiled softly. “Would you believe me if I did this?” Pyrrha leaned into him and kissed him gently. 

“Well it’s about time!” Nora said happily, throwing her arms in the air. Ren shook his head but smiled.

Jaune’s hand gripped Pyrrha’s side tighter as it slipped down her back. She quickly caught his hand and broke the kiss. 

“Jaune.” Pyrrha laughed. “I only reincarnated two days ago. Maybe we can take things slow at first?”

Jaune blushed hard and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah! Of course! I’m sorry!” Jaune sputtered. Pyrrha put a finger to his mouth and told him it was okay.

“MY TURN!” Nora threw herself at Pyrrha who caught her and laughed. Pyrrha hugged her tightly. When they broke apart, Ren hugged Pyrrha around her shoulders. As always he smelled like lilies. 

Pyrrha felt a tug on her arm. She looked down to see a young boy with messy brown hair. His eyes looked familiar. They carried much more knowledge in them than any teenager should have. She’d only seen that in one other person before.

Suddenly the boy began to glow a light green color. He panicked and put his hands to his head, muttering, “go away!”

Pyrrha reached out to try and help him, but as she did, the boy straightened up and gently smiled at her.

“It’s good to see you again, Miss Nikos.”

Pyrrha jumped back. That couldn’t be possible.

“Professor Ozpin?” She asked.

The rest of the new arrivals stood and gaped. The boy addressed them all. 

“Team AVTM, it’s good to see you’re all okay. Ala, you and I haven’t connected in a long time. I see you’ve been happy.” The boy nodded to Davan who looked very confused.

“Oh Oz, always so assuming.” Alason said. “And always so right.” 

“He’s not right all the time.” Yang growled. “Why are you back?”

Ozpin took a breath. “I wish to apologise.” He turned back to Pyrrha. “I’m sorry about everything. I never meant to put you in so much danger. I never wanted you to-”

“Professor,” Pyrrha began. “I made the choice to fight her. It’s not your fault.”

Jaune muttered something angrily. Pyrrha put a hand on his arm.

“It doesn’t matter.” She told Jaune. “No one on the side of life is at fault. I’m not dead - anymore. Let’s focus on the future, not the past.”

“Pyrrha, as much as I would like to trust him,” Ruby began. “He’s told us so many lies.”

The boy gasped as his eyes began to change back to normal. Again, his hands went to his head.

“Where’d he go this time?” Jaune asked. “Can you hear him?”

The boy shook his head. “He’s gone.”

The room went quiet. Pyrrha looked at the boy.

“I’m sorry,” Pyrrha began. “I don’t think I got your name?”

The boy looked at her confused.

“You don’t think I’m Ozpin?” He asked.

“You don’t look like an old man.” Pyrrha smiled. “I just figured that you weren’t him.”

The boy looked overjoyed. “I’m Oscar.”

Pyrrha held out her hand and Oscar took it. 

“I’m Pyrrha,” She said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Pyrrha?” Jaune began. “Did you say you reincarnated?” 

Once they all sat back down, again Pyrrha told her story exactly the same way, but this time she wasn’t met with surprise or shock - she was met with knowing stares.

“That makes total sense.” Yang said. 

“It does?” Mari asked sarcastically. 

“Well, we would be surprised, if we hadn’t heard the story before.” Weiss said. “Ozpin went through a similar thing.”

“You’re old news, Nikos.” Alex smirked.

“Almost,” Blake said. “There’s some differences though. When he dies, Ozpin’s soul combines with another young man, such as Oscar, and through that he lives forever. But you came back as yourself, and get to live one life, when Oscar lives all of Ozpins.”

“That must be extremely difficult,” Pyrrha said to Oscar. “I’m sorry.”

Oscar shrugged. “Thanks. I guess I’ll get used to it.”

RWBY continued to tell the story of their journey. They talked about the Apathy, they talked about meeting Maria, and they talked about Ruby’s silver eyes freezing a Leviathan. They talked about finding the relic, asked Jin a question, and detailed the story of why Ozpin reincarnates. They finished by talking about Salem. They talked about how dangerous she is - planning the attacks at Beacon and Haven, becoming half-Grimm, and finally the fact that she was immortal. 

“So she’s unstoppable?” Tavon asked.

“No.” Pyrrha siad. “There has to be a way to stop her. If the God of Light asked both me and Ozpin to bring balance to Remnant, somehow we must be able to stop her.”

“I don’t know, P-money.” Yang said. “Maybe there’s a way to prolong the inevitable, but she can’t even kill herself. How can we can kill her?”

The room grew silent as everyone thought.

“Hang on one second,” Alex lifted a and and leaned farther back into Ala’s chair. “If Ruby has the ability to freeze Grimm, and Salem is half-Grimm, can’t she just freeze Salem?”

“Huh,” Maria said. “Now that’s a good question.”

“Now that I think about it,” Ruby began. “When I used my eyes at the Fall of Beacon, I did end up really hurting Cinder. I don’t know if she was part grimm, but maybe there’s a correlation somehow? I used my powers when we were fighting the Apathy and I didn’t hurt any humans.”

“But that’s still a maybe.” Weiss said. “We don’t actually know if she can freeze Salem.”

“Then let's forget about that problem for now,” Ala said, earning confused stares. “Listen, there’s still a lot of unanswered questions. First of all, we don’t even know where Salem is! Once we learn more about her, maybe we find out there is a way to kill her, who knows? But right now, let's keep that in the back of our minds and focus on the next step. Do you have a plan for what we can do now?”

“We would like to say that we did, but we haven’t even been in contact with Ironwood.” Qrow finally spoke. “We sent him letters, I called him when I got here, even visited his school, but nothing. No contact at all. We’re on our own at the moment.”

“I may have a solution.” Winter said. “I don’t know why General Ironwood hasn’t responded to you, but we have had reports of some military officials mail being sent to the wrong person or simply not showing up at all. Someone working for the military could be intercepting letters, and if that’s the case, then General Ironwood has no idea what's happening in the rest of the world. Veronica and I received invitations to the Annual Atlas Ball, a party held for the highest ranking military officials, businessmen, and anyone classy enough to make the city of Atlas look like a haven of money. Weiss and Alex should be able to get in on merit, but between the four of us we may be able to get everyone in. Ironwood will be there.”

“Dance dance infiltration!” Ruby threw her hands in the air. “This is perfect! With two of his military officers here, he’ll have to talk to us!”

“Winter,” Weiss began. “The Atlas Ball is being hosted at the Schnee family mansion.”

“Why is that a problem?” Winter asked. “Don’t want to go home?”

“No.” Weiss said flatly. “I don’t. I’m sure you heard that father and I aren’t exactly on great terms. He took my title from me.”

“I know. I held that title once too, remember?” Winter narrowed her eyes at her sister with determination. “Who cares if he took it from you. Remember who you are, Weiss. You deserve that title, so go get it back.”

“What?” Weiss asked.

“Go up to him, and get your title back. Make him look like a fool.” Winter said. “I’d love to watch.”

“I suppose that could be fun.” Weiss smirked.

“It's a dance, of course it’ll be fun!” Nora said. “Now that Pyrrha’s back, we can do the new choreo we never got to show off!”

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea for Pyrrha to go,” Winter said. 

“What?” Pyrrha asked. “I mean sure, I probably can’t go into the dance, but what if something happens? I could keep watch from somewhere else, do something to help out.”

“If someone sees you, their going to start asking questions,” Veronica said. “People are going to want to know how you’re alive, and the world isn’t ready for that answer yet.”

“But I won’t be seen.” Pyrrha insisted. “And General Ironwood needs to know I’m alive anyway. There’s got to be a way to sneak me in.”

“Ha,” Maria spoke. “You remind me of myself when I was your age.”

“That seems really dangerous, Pyrrha.” Jaune said. “Can you even sneak into the Schnee mansion?” 

“Actually,” Weiss began. Winter raised her eyebrows. “You can.”

“You’re not serious.” Winter said. “That’s a dangerous play.”

“But it’s the only one we have.” Weiss replied. “If I learned anything from going to Beacon, it was that the safest place is with your team. And Pyrrha’s right. If Ironwood is truly ignoring us, then we may only have one shot at talking to him, and we need her to be there. We can get her in and out safely. Plus the library is going to be closed off anyway. No one’s going in there.” 

Winter thought for a moment. “I think this is a terrible idea, but you seem pretty confident about it so lets try it. But we need to plan this well. Otherwise everyone in Atlas is going to know Pyrrha’s alive.”

“Do you mind sharing your terrible idea with us?” Alex asked.

“There’s a secret passage in the mansion that was once used for servants to deliver food in the library. It leads down past the kitchen and out the cellar door towards the parking lot where food trucks park when they’re delivering. We can sneak you in there, and we can talk to Ironwood privately.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me.” Mari said.

“It is, if everything goes according to plan.” Weiss said. “Winter, you’re going to be expected at the party, so you need to show up first, but I won’t be expected. If we can get a delivery truck, Ruby, Maria and I can take Pyrrha to the passage from the back. When we begin to come up the stairs, we’re going to need you to give us the all clear in the library. Then, Pyrrha can stay there while we bring Ironwood to the library.”

“I’ll stay with Pyrrha,” Maria said. “To keep a lookout, and give ya some company.”

Pyrrha nodded. 

“The rest of us should arrive in groups, at separate times.” Ruby said. “We’ll be less noticable if we stay away from each other.”

“Right,” Ren said. “But it’s gotta look inconspicuous. We can’t go in there as teams, people will notice.”

“Okay then,” Alex began. “Ruby and Weiss will stick together, so that means Blake and Yang should too. Weiss, I think you should stay with Winter for most of the night. People are going to ask questions about why you’re back, so it would be best if you two were on the same page. Qrow should stay with Oscar, Tavon, Mari you stay together, and Ren, Nora, you do the same. Veronica, Vermillion, I think you two should go as a family, but keep in eyes range. And Jaune-”

“He should stay with us,” Oscar said. “If we’re looking for the Headmaster of Atlas, one more familiar face of a student at Beacon would be helpful.”

“Good idea.” Alex said.

“Who are you going with then?” Vermillion asked, somewhat disappointed.

“Oh, uh…” Alex thought.

“Come with us.” Alason said. “We could pass as a family. You and D are actors anyway, it makes sense that we’d all be together.”

“Okay then. Sounds like a plan.” Alex said.

“I just want you to know I’m still not happy with you for brainwashing me.” Qrow grumbled. “But it’s good to have some extra help.”

“Heh, yeah sorry!” Mari scratched the back of her head.

“We’re forgetting something!” Nora said. “Some nice, fancy clothes!”

“No!” Ruby groaned. “We just bought new outfits. I don’t want to go shopping again.”

“Neither do I,” Blake said. “Yang and I went to six stores yesterday until we found one that didn’t have a “No Faunus” sign on the door. Even if I’m wearing a bow I’m still recognisable if I’m out again two days in a row. It’s probably not even a good idea for me to go to the ball.”

“I know it may be awkward,” Weiss said. “And I don’t want to put you in a position you’re uncomfortable with, but you have the best ears of all of us. If something happens, it would be good to have you, if you want.”

“It’s up to you, B.” Yang siad, stroking the back of Blake’s hand gently. 

“I think I’ll go dress shopping.” Blake said. “Then maybe I’ll decide whether I’ll stay with Pyrrha or actually in the dance.”

“We should probably get some new outfits too.” Mari said. “It’s freezing here.” 

“That’s why we got some new clothes!” Ruby said. “Plus Blake’s lost her jacket anyway, so it gave us all an excuse.”

“The party starts at 8:00 tomorrow night,” Winter began. “Veronica and I should go report to Ironwood about our previous mission. Maybe we can tell him that I found Weiss and that she needs to talk to him during the ball. It would give him a reason to go.”

“I don’t know Win,” Veronica said. “What if Ironwood is compromised.”

“Ironwoods not compromised.” Winter demanded.

“That’s what we thought about Lionheart,” Veronica persisted. “If we go to him now and tell him to meet Weiss in the library he’s going to demand we tell him everything, and even if he’s not compromised someone else could find out, and you and Weiss will be in danger. Let’s stay here tonight and tomorrow go talk to him. He hasn’t contacted us yet, so until he does we can’t tell him anything. I don’t think Ironwood is compromised, but you said it yourself. Someone in the military might be. We need to play it as safe as possible.”

“Fine,” Winter said. “Lets go ask for a room then. The rest of you, I would go shopping now. Veronica and I will meet up with you.”

*

When it got dark, everyone met back at the hotel, new gear and fancy clothes in hand. Soon enough, everyone retired to their rooms, but Alex found herself leaving hers. V was taking a shower, and it wasn’t too late, so she hoped she wouldn’t be barging in, but Alex quietly walked across the hall to Alason and Davon’s room. She knocked on the door three times, and Davon opened it slightly. He opened it the full way when he saw her, and gave her a smile. 

“Hey kid! What can I do for ya?” Davon asked.

“I uh, was wondering if I could talk to Alason for a minute?” Alex rubbed the back of her head.

“Yeah sure, she’s right there on the porch.” Davon pointed to the chair that Alason was sitting in. He let Alex in the room and closed the door softly after her. Alex made her way to the porch. When she opened the glass door, Alason looked up from the book she was reading. Her eyes lit up under the large reading glasses she was wearing, and she gave Alex a smile to match Davon’s.

“Hi Alex!” Alason said kindly. “What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to thank you for saving my life earlier today.” Alex said. “I owe you one.”

“Pfft.” Alason waved her hand and pulled the glasses off her face. “Don’t worry about it. It’s our job to save each other. I’ve got your back, and I know you and your friends have mine.”

Alex nodded.

Alason looked at her concerned. “Is there something else on your mind?”

Alex pulled her shoulders up. “I - kinda, I guess. I don’t want to impose though, if you wanted to read.”

Alason put the book on the table next to her and gestured to a chair across from her own. “Have a seat. Tell me your tale of woe.”

Alex sat. “I just - I guess - I thought that maybe I would ask - since you’re also a Maiden-”

“If I could help you control it?” Alason asked gently. Alex nodded. “Why don’t you think you can do it on your own?” Alason asked.

“I - I’m… scared.” Alex admitted. “I got my powers so suddenly that I freaked out and they got out of my control so much that I-” Alex stopped herself. “I just don’t want to hurt anybody.”

Alason nodded. “My powers used to be difficult to control. My head wasn’t exactly in the greatest place, and I never let myself feel anything because I was scared that my mental health would get worse, and I would use them to harm myself. But then, with the help of my friends, I began to look at my emotions as a source of power. The power of living in the present, breathing in every moment, savoring every memory. Everything became a frenzy - but in a great way. I’m more comfortable with myself - I trust myself, and if you learn how to let go, you’ll feel the same.”

Alex picked at her hands. “I don’t know how to let go. I don’t tell anyone how I feel. It’s hard for even me to know what I’m feeling, since I’ve tried to block it all out.”

“You don’t need to know what you’re feeling.” Alason reached out and put her hands over Alex’s. “Because I know what you’re feeling, up to a point at least. I was scared when I got my powers. Not only because I was holding a force that I couldn’t control, but also because I knew I was entirely alone.” Alason paused to look Alex in the eyes. “But you’re not alone. I promise. I’ve got you.”

Alex felt like she was going to burst into tears. The last people who had said that to her were her parents. She took a deep breath in. Alason noticed Alex’s attempts at calming herself. Ala jumped out of her chair and sat on the corner of Alex’s chair. She engulfed the younger woman in a tight hug and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. Alex rested her head on Ala’s chest and listened to her slow heartbeat. Alex knew she had only known the other woman for a day, but it was like she had known her her whole life. Like she recognised the older woman from somewhere. It felt somewhat universal, and neither woman wasn’t sure what to think of it. But they held each other until Alex felt herself falling asleep. Alason could hear her breathing slow. Alex opened her eyes to look at Alason.

“Tired?” Alason asked. 

Alex yawned. “Only a little.”

Alason helped her up and walked her to the door.

“If you need anything, ever,” Alson started. “Don’t hesitate to ask, okay? D and I are here for you, whenever you need us.”

Alex gave Alason one last hug. “Thank you.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I know everyone says this, but this chapter is way overdue! This chapter has a lot to it - we're finally at the Atlas Ball! Enjoy!
> 
> Also, I made a Deviant Art to show you what my characters look like. My most recent drawings is of team AVTM and Ala + Davon at the Atlas Ball. Updated outfits will be up soon! Here's the link: https://www.deviantart.com/xs-files  
> Let me know what you think! :) Thanks!

Chapter 5

A scream awoke Alex in the middle of the night. She was up and out of her room at once, trying to find where it had come from. Across the hall, she saw Ruby and Weiss standing at the door of Blake and Yang’s room. 

“What’s going on?” Alex asked. Ala, Davon, JNPR, AVTM, Oscar, Weiss and Veronica now stood with them.

“Did Blake have another nightmare?” Oscar asked. 

Weiss nodded. “I think so.”

The others nodded and began to retreat to their rooms. Jaune waited back with Pyrrha who was confused.

“Why is she having nightmares?” Pyrrha asked.

“She says her fight with Adam brought back her trauma from the Fall of Beacon.” Ruby said. “Yang’s been able to help her a little, but she’s had these nightmares for weeks.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Mari asked. 

“Yes,” Weiss said. “She’s strong, she’ll get better.”

“Let’s go back to bed.” Ruby said. “Yang’s got this.”

They all began to walk back to their rooms, when Alex noticed Ala standing with her hand on Blake and Yang’s door. Davon stood next to her patiently.

“Ala?” Alex asked. “What’s wrong?”

Alason looked at her. “Do you know anything about Adam?” 

Alex shook her head. “Not really. Only that he was at the Fall of Beacon, and that he cut Yang’s arm off after stabbing Blake.” Ala raised her eyebrows. Alex awkwardly shrugged. “Blake and Adam have to have some sort of history, but I don’t know the extent.”

“I think I know what she’s going through. Maybe I can help.” Alason said.

Alex wanted to ask what Ala meant, but resisted. “You should talk to her,” Alex said. “I think she’d appreciate it.”

Ala nodded. “Okay. Now back to bed. You still need rest after that fight yesterday.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah alright. Goodnight!”

*

Alex yawned. She was the first one up, as usual, and had decided to go to the gym and work out. To her surprise, there was already a light on when she reached the gym.

She walked in carefully, wondering who would be up. She suspected Blake, who may have not fallen back to sleep after her nightmare. Instead, she saw a whirlwind of red hair attacking a punching bag.

“Pyrrha?” Alex asked. Pyrrha turned around breathing heavily. 

“Hey!” Pyrrha said lightly. “You’re up early.”

“I was gonna say the same thing about you,” Alex said. “Are you okay? You seem kinda out of breath.”

Pyrrha smiled sadly.

“I’m just not in the same shape that I used to be,” She answered. “I want to be able to fully control my semblance, and I don't know if I can, and my fighting style is all over the place. I feel weak, but I need my strength back.”

“Do you want to try sparing?” Alex asked. “Maybe that’ll get you in the groove.”

“I’d love that!” Pyrrha said pulling Alex to the open area of the gym.

Alex definitely noticed the significant decrease in flighting skill from Pyrrha. It was odd though, the potential was there. It just felt like Pyrrha had just come back after sustaining an injury - which was of course, basically what happened, just with a little divine magic thrown in. Now of course, Pyrrha was still a better fighter than Alex, but the shorter girl was able to keep up just fine with her. It was a little scary, the fact that Pyrrha wasn’t at her best, but Alex knew she’d be back to normal in no time. Pyrrha just needed to control her semblance better, and not drop rocks on them this time. Soon, they’d had enough and were both tired.

“Do you think you want to do this again?” Pyrrha asked. “Help me get back into shape?”

“I’d love too!” Alex said. “Same time tomorrow?”

“Perfect!”

The pair walked out of the gym and back to their rooms.

*

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. Because the kitchen staff was shorthanded, Ren was allowed to make his famous pancakes, and they continued to catch up over breakfast.

Alex had to keep her eyes off Blake, who unconsciously leaned into Yang as they talked. 

After breakfast, Nora, Ren, Yang, Tavon, and Qrow went out to buy food, dust, and extra communication earpieces so they could stay in contact during the ball. Winter had taken Alex and Davon to get official invitations for everyone to attend the dance. That left Ruby, Jaune, Pyrrha, Vermillion, Veronica, Mari, Weiss, Maria, Alason, and Blake. Ruby, Weiss, and Jaune were talking to Pyrrha, while Mari was pestering V and Veronica. Maria was reading a book to herself on the couch, and Blake was doing the same on the porch. At one point Ala noticed Blake put her book down and shiver. Ala quickly grabbed a soft blanket and opened the porch door. Even she had to admit it was cold. She carefully draped the blanket over Blake, who flinched at the sudden contact she didn’t recognise to be Yang. Ala tried to hide the pained look on her face as she noticed Blake’s anxiety. Ala carefully sat down next to her.

“Hey.” Ala said kindly. “You looked a little cold.”

“Yeah,” Blake smiled. “I was. Thank you.”

There was a period of awkward silence between the two. Alason fiddled with her hands.

“What are you reading?” Ala asked.

Blake picked up the book. It had a white cover with Atlas’s logo on it. The title read: "Politics in a Human World".

“It’s about Atlas’s view on Faunus involvement in politics,” Blake said. “I’m trying to get a feel for it. Maybe if I do it’ll be easier to change their minds about us.”

Ala nodded. Another uncomfortable silence passed.

They both went to speak at the same time. 

“If you want to ask about the nightmare-” “Can I talk to you about the nightmare-”

They both stopped talking. 

“Sure,” Blake said. “What about it?”

Ala took a breath. “Look, I don’t know anything about you, or whoever Adam was, but I do recognise what you’re feeling.”

Blake narrowed her eyes, confused. “What am I feeling?”

“I was a little younger than you when my boyfriend started hurting me,” Ala saw Blake retreat into herself. “He twisted my words, made me feel like I wanted it. He was two decades older than me, so he wasn’t really my boyfriend, he just… I don’t know, he made me feel like I didn’t have a choice as to whether or not I dated him. Anyway, because he was so much bigger than me, stronger than me, everytime I tried to fight back, he would just hit harder.” Ala stopped and shuddered at the memory, continuing to fiddle with her hands. “I’m sorry if I’m totally wrong and I’m telling you this for no reason.”

“No,” Blake said quietly. “You’re right. At first, I fell in love with Adam because I thought he stood for justice - for good. But then he… changed. He started hurting other people, and occasionally, he would hurt me. I took it because I thought we were still fighting for change. Fighting to help the Faunus. But one day I realized he was just fighting for himself. So, I left - I “betrayed” him, as he said, and he came after me. There wasn’t a day that I didn’t feel afraid of him, and not just for myself, for my friends too. After the Fall of Beacon, I was especially scared for Yang. Adam hurt her, and it was my fault, and that’s the only thing I never wanted to happen. I blamed myself, because that’s what Adam taught me to do, but when I saw Yang again, she convinced me that it wasn’t my fault. She convinced me that I had nothing to run from, that we could protect each other. And she was right. We stopped him together, but now that he’s gone I still feel…”

“Like something’s missing?” Ala asked.

Blake nodded. 

“I conquered my demons, but a part of me knows that what he did will never go away. I murdered him. Something that he wanted to do to me. I have nightmares where I dream that I am him, or just a product of him. And when I wake up, I’m back in Yang’s arms, safe and sound. It’s just… he convinced me that I am capable of the things that he was doing. That I was a part of him, that I could be as strong as him, and he was right. Yang and I were stronger than him. So now that he’s gone, it’s hard to convince myself that I’m not him. That I wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“You seem pretty close to Yang,” Ala observed. “You do understand that you’d never hurt her right?”

Blake completely collapsed into herself, letting her hair cover her face. 

“But I did hurt her,” Blake said. “I ran away, I put her in more pain. But I promised her that I’d never leave again, and I trust myself to keep that promise, and I will. Yang means everything to me, and I know that I could never hurt her the way Adam hurt me, but something’s keeping me from believing that what Adam made me isn’t still inside me. I know we can handle it together, but I guess some part of me is still afraid that a piece of him will come out and end up hurting Yang.”

“Blake,” Ala said quietly. “It took me a long time to figure out that I wasn’t a product of the man who hurt me. It took me a long time to convince myself that I was worth something. That what happened to me, those things don’t define me. For a while, it made me weaker, but my friends, and even Davon now, have convinced me that this life is my story, and I get to decide what my next chapter will be and whether or not I get to love myself. I still have multiple issues with depression and PTSD, but so many people, especially Davon, have helped me through every melt down, panic attack, and yes, nightmare, and I feel so much happier. You have a team who adores you, and someone special who cares for you very much. I would recommend talking to Yang. Maybe there’s a system you two can come up with, a way to help you relax before you sleep. And from personal experience, I know talking about it, even a little bit only occasionally will help you. So if Yang’s not around, or you need someone with similar experience you can always come to me. Okay?”

Small tears glistened in Blake’s eyes. She nodded and wrapped her arms around Ala’s neck, thanking her. Ala rubbed her back, and soon Blake relaxed.

“Hey Ala?” Blake started. “Can I ask you something completely unrelated?”

“Go for it.”

“Did you know Alex before yesterday?”

“No,” Ala said. “Yesterday was the first time. Why?”

“The way you look at her,” Blake began. “It just looks like you’ve known her your whole life. I thought you were connected somehow.”

Truthfully, they were, as the Winter and Summer Maidens, but Ala didn’t want to give away Alex’s secret just yet. It wasn’t hers to tell.

“I think we’ve met before,” Ala began. “I just don’t know where. I could just be thinking of her from TV, but I don’t think that’s it.”

“What? Like some universal feeling?” Blake raised her eyebrows.

“I guess,” Ala shrugged. “I’ll figure it out at some point.”

The truth was, Ala had met Alex before not so long ago, and there was a reason why Alex didn’t remember. Ala wasn’t planning on telling her why. It was Ala’s fault in the first place.

*

When the others returned, the group went over the plan once more. Alex and Davon handed out the invitations they got, and Winter had ordered a plain white moving truck to hide Pyrrha in. Once everything was settled, they all began to change. Jaune wore a black tuxedo with yellow accents and a yellow bowtie (that Pyrrha had to tie for him), Ren wore a thin green hakuna, while Nora was in a light pink strapless mini dress. Winter wore a formal white long dress that draped loosely down her back, and had let her long white hair down, while Veronica was in a light purple formal pantsuit with a long jacket over her shoulders. Ruby was in a knee length red dress with the short sleeves covering her shoulders, while Weiss was in a glamourous opaque white and blue dress with a leg cut out. Winter had also braided her sister long hair, draping over the side of her head. Mari’s long navy dress had cut outs on the sides, and covered her shark faunus traits on her neck, while Tavon was in a black tuxedo with green pockets and a dark gray undershirt. Vermillion wore a dark gray suit that’s jacket buttoned in the front and had orange accents. He also sported a pink bowtie that Alex had picked out for him because it matched the color of her dress. Alex was in a light pink, low cut, knee length dress, and pink high heels to match. Perhaps the most glamorous of them all however were Ala and Davon. Davon wore a deep maroon tuxedo with black accents and a satin white collared shirt underneath to match the long white silk dress Ala was wearing; a long cut out leg, a low cut, and a tie on the left side. Even Qrow put on a gray tuxedo jacket and tie. That just left Blake and Yang. They were in different rooms getting ready because Ruby had asked Yang to do her hair. Weiss was now with Blake asking her to hurry, and Ruby was doing the same for Yang.

*

“I don’t know Weiss,” Blake said in the mirror. “What was I thinking!” 

Weiss had her eyebrows raised looking at her friend. Blake’s long hair was now at a bob cut, the remains of her black locks pouring from the sink. 

Weiss smiled at her.

“I love it,” Weiss said kindly. “And I know she will too.”

*

“Yaaannnggg!” Ruby groaned. “You look beautiful! Now can we go? Everyone’s waiting!”

“You hate dances!” Yang retorted. “Why do you want to go?”

“Because this is a dance, dance, infiltration!” Ruby said throwing an arm in the air. “This is fun!”

Yang rolled her eyes and turned to her sister.

“Alright sis,” Yang gave in, playing with her long hair. “Let’s go.”

*

By time Yang came down, Blake was already there, waiting for her. Yang stopped as she saw Blake’s new haircut. Yang couldn’t stop smiling as she reached her partner. Blake was dressed in a light purple dress that hung around her neck and went down to her ankles. The back was low cut, and showed off her curves. Yang’s light yellow dress slipped only slightly off her shoulders and fell just over her knees. As always, she looked incredible. They took each other in.

“I take it you like the haircut.” Blake said.

“You look beautiful.” Yang replied, cupping Blake’s face with her left hand. 

“So you do.” Blake replied, taking Yang’s metal hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. 

Blake turned to the group.

“I’m bringing a bow just in case,” She said. “Are you sure I shouldn’t put it on now?”

“Up to you Blake,” Weiss said. “Whatever happens, we’re with you.”

Yang squeezed Blake’s hand. 

“People should take you as you are,” Yang said. “And we’ll be there to make sure that happens.”

Blake nodded and kept the bow off her head.

“Alright then,” Winter said. “Let’s go to the ball.”

*

Maria drove the van around the back of the Schnee mansion. Weiss sat in the passenger seat while Ruby and Pyrrha hid in the back. Maria pulled closer to the gate. Two guards were waiting in a small, one room check in building connected to a bar that lifted to let in cars. Maria stopped the car before the bar. 

“Hello there,” Maria greated. “We’re here for a delivery.”

Weiss moved her head forward in view of the guards.

“Miss Schnee!” One of the guards said surprised. “What are you doing in a delivery truck?”

“Making an entrance,” Weiss said calmly. “I’ve been gone for a while and I wanted my arrival to be a surprise.”

The guards looked at each other. 

“Alright ma'am,” One of the guards pushed a button and the bar flipped upwards. Weiss thanked them and Maria drove the truck closer to the Schnee manor. 

“We’re through,” Weiss called back to Ruby and Pyrrha. “Get ready.”

Maria backed the truck into a space that connected to the manor. Weiss got out first, checked for other guards, and opened the back of the truck for Ruby and Pyrrha to hop out. Weiss led the three other women through the kitchen and into the passage. Winter’s voice came over Weiss’s earpiece. “All clear, you can come up.” Winter said. 

“Copy that.” Weiss replied and led them up to the library. The library stood about 25 feet tall, each shelf on the wall filled with books. There were multiple places to sit, even a desk sat in the center of the room, probably used for informal meetings. When they arrived, Winter stood at the doorway. 

“Just in case someone arrives,” Winter began. “You should stay in or close to the passage. We don’t want anyone to see you before we’re ready.”

Pyrrha nodded. “Have fun at the party,” She smiled. “We'll see you soon.”

*

“We’re in,” Yang’s voice came over Alex’s earpiece. “You guys are up.” 

Alex nodded to Ala and Davon. “Ready to head in?”

“Wait, I almost forgot!” Ala fumbled around in her secret dress pockets. “I got this for you yesterday.”

Ala pulled out a small bag and handed it to Alex. She pulled out a gold necklace with a sun pendant on the end.

“Ala,” Alex breathed surprised. “You didn’t have to.”

Ala waved her off. “I’ve got one,” Ala’s necklace was silver and had a moon pendant on the end as a tribute to her emblem and the meaning of her name. “And Davon’s got his watch that’s shaped like a star, so you’re our sun! Sounds like a family to me!”

Alex laughed, but thought for a moment. “You don’t know anything about me do you?” She asked kindly.

Ala looked confused. “No… why?”

“I became an actor by accident, because I moved in with my movie star cousin who forced me to audition for something. After that, moving in with her became a news story.” Alex paused. Choosing her next words carefully. “Basically, people are going to know that you, me, and Davon, are not actually family, because I don’t have one anymore. But it's been a while since I’ve thought about having one, and it’s… nice, so thank you. Plus it’s totally weird that our emblems are all connected.” She paused smiling. “Will you…”

“Oh yeah sure!” Ala took the necklace and hooked it around Alex’s neck. Davon put a hand on her shoulder.

“Come on, Sunshine,” Davon said. “Let's show Ala how a couple of celebrities take over a party.” 

As the trio walked into the party, many onlookers stopped and stared. The high class Atlesians whispered to each other as they walked further into the room. Many men nodded at Davon with respect, but looked at Ala with distaste. Other men looked at Davon with resent, and were more interested in looking at Ala as if she was an object. Ala put a strong hand on Alex’s shoulder, while her other hand tightened around Davon’s. 

They stopped when a waiter offered them a drink. Davon and Ala both took one and were immediately surrounded by party goers. 

“Oh Mr. Haze how lovely to meet you!”

“Alex honey how’s your cousin?”

“Ala? Nice name. Where did someone like Mr. Haze pick you up?”

With each snobby comment, Alex had to resist delivering a nice left hook to one of their plastic faces. Davan was calm on the outside, but Alex could feel him fuming. The live band began playing a new song, silencing the room. Davon took the opportunity to get away.

“Oh I love dancing to this song,” Davon turned too Ala. “Would you do me the honors?”

Ala looked at Alex who smiled at her.

“I’m fine,” Alex assured. “Go.”

Ala smiled and let Davon lead her to the dance floor, thankful.

*

“Does anyone have eyes on Ironwood?” Jaune asked through the earpiece. 

“I don’t think he’s here yet,” Mari said. “The party just started, maybe he likes to make a late entrance.”

Mari and Tavon had walked the length of the ballroom, but saw no sign of Ironwood. They did see Jacques Schnee, and Tavon had to be careful to keep Mari away from him. He knew as a Faunus she would be likely to rip open his neck with her teeth. The rest of the group was spread out across the party. He saw Blake and Yang on the other side of the room. Blake’s ears drooped, as if she was trying to hide them in her dark hair. Yang had her metal hand on her shoulder and the other gripped her partners hand tightly. Mari followed Tavon’s gaze. 

“They’ll be fine,” Mari told him. “Trust me. They’ve got each other.”

*

Veronica and Vermillion walked together down next to the windows that lined the Schnee manor ballroom. Veronica had a glass of champagne in her hand, but kept her eyes peeled for anything.

“This is nice,” Veronica said. “Infiltrating the Schnee manor with my brother. It’s been a long time since we’ve been together.”

“I thought our reunion was going to include more hiking, and less, you know, near death experiences.” Vermillion answered.

“Hiking could be a near death experience,” Veronica said. “But don’t worry, once we figure all this out, you and I will go on that hiking trip we planned years ago. The one up Auburn Caverns where mom used to paint.”

Vermillion stayed silent. Veronica noticed.

“You know,” Veronica said. “I found a painting of hers about 3 weeks ago at an auction.”

“What?” Vermillion asked, eyes wide. “I thought they were all given back to us.”

Veronica shook her head.

“I thought so too, but here Winter and I were, at some big name dealer’s auction to investigate if anything had been illegally shipped, and suddenly, there it was. I didn’t recognise the painting itself, but I knew it was moms.”

Isabelline Vango was a famous Atlesian painter. Her beautiful paintings of people and nature landscapes hung on the walls of Atlas museums. Unfortunately, she passed away from a terminal illness, but her paintings live on.

“Who bought it?” Millie needed that painting.

Veronica smiled. 

“Winter.”

“What?” Vermillion asked confused.

“I didn’t have the cash to buy it, but when I told Winter it was moms, she placed the highest bid. It’s at our apartment.” Veronica answered.

“So you two are dating!” Vermillion threw up his hands.

“That was a quick change of subject,” Veronica rolled her eyes. “And yes, if you must know, we’re… trying things out. But don’t tell anyone. We want to keep it secret.”

“I honestly can’t believe that,” Vermilion scoffed. “The Ice Queen and… you? Don’t be offended when I say this because I love this about you - but you’re a little… capricious.”

Veronica’s jaw dropped in fake offence. 

“We may be siblings, but you clearly know nothing about me. I am not capricious. I’m… whimsical.”

“Isn’t that just a synonym?”

“Whatever,” Veronica smiled gently. “I know you’re still kinda mad at me for joining the military, but I’m good at my job little brother. I’m a natural agent.”

“I’m sure you are Ronnie, and I’m not mad at you, I’m… just a little frustrated with dad. He kinda forced you into it.” V said.

“Maybe at first,” Veronica shrugged. “But then I met Winter, and I had a real purpose to be there. Besides, look at you and me now, we’re back together! Hopefully that’s a sign that everything does work out.”

Veronica turned her head slightly and glanced at the doors. She then checked her watch and smirked.

“Check this out,” She said. “He’s gonna walk through those doors in 3, 2, 1…”

Sure enough, the large white doors opened and in walked General Ironwood. He was dressed in white from head to toe. Even his black hair was turning a lighter shade.

“How did you know?” V asked. 

“I told you, I’m good at my job.” Veronica winked. She spoke into her earpiece. “The Tinman has arrived.”

“Copy that,” Winter said. “I’m moving in.”

While Winter and Ruby made their way over to Ironwood, Qrow, Oscar, and Jaune surrounded him from the other side.

“You’re girlfriends by herself.” Veronica commented. V looked confused, but followed Veronica’s gaze.

“Alex is not my girlfriend.” V huffed. 

“Not yet,” Veronica pushed him towards his partner. “Go get her, ladykiller.”

“What does that even mean?” V muttered to himself, but soon found himself standing next to Alex.

“Hey,” Alex said. “Get sick of your sister?”

V smirked. “Not entirely. Ironwood’s here, so its onto phase two I guess.”

Phase two was pretty simple. Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, Qrow, Oscar, Nora, Ren, Tavon, and Mari would wait for Winter and Veronica to bring Ironwood into the library. Meanwhile, Alex, Vermillion, Yang, Blake, Ala, and Davon would stay on the dance floor.  
Alex and V watched Ironwood be led away by Winter and Veronica. Alex took a breath to calm her nervous aura. She turned to her partner.

“Do you want to dance?”

*

“Ms. Schnee, Ms. Vango,” Ironwood began as they were out of earshot. “I was hoping you’d be here. It’s not safe to send messages. I think someone’s been intercepting them.”

“We thought so sir,” Winter said. “That’s why we need to show you something in private. There’s-”

“Daughter!” Winter was cut off. She turned gingerly on her heels. Jauques Schnee was standing behind them looking especially angry. “Where are you taking the General?”

Winter huffed. “Father,” She said. “My partner and I have some important things to discuss with General Ironwood. If you would be so kind to-” 

“Father!” Winter turned back around sharply. Weiss stood in the hallway, looking strong.

“Wiess?” Jauques looked confused. “Why, where have you been?”

“Oh, just traveling. I needed to get my head together and think about what you said so I can get my title back.”

“And what makes you think you’re getting your title back?” Jauques laughed.

“I do.” Weiss answered simply. “I am here to show you why I deserve my title. I am more responsible now father, and I understand what it means to wear the title of heiress.” Weiss turned to her sister.

“Winter, why don’t we walk back out with father? Surely your partner can handle this by herself.” Weiss said.

Winter was about to complain when she realized what Weiss was saying. She pretended to sigh.

“Alright sister, I suppose we should be out there. Come along father.” Winter took her father's arm in her own and walked towards the ballroom while Weiss followed. Winter looked back at Veronica, giving her a nod. Veronica looked at her with a mix of sympathy and worry. 

"I’m fine. Go." Winter mouthed. Veronica nodded and led Ironwood towards the library. 

*

As her father greeted guests, Winter stood purposefully between her father and sister. She took in the scene carefully, hoping to be useful in some way while Veronica handled Ironwood. Every once in awhile she would look down at Weiss. She was surprised how quickly her sister had grown up since the Fall of Beacon, and it made Winter sad. Weiss was trying not to grimace. Winter noticed and gently rubbed her sisters back. Weiss leaned into the touch gratefully. 

Weiss scanned the room. She noticed Alex and Vermillion dancing together, along with Ala and Davon. Blake and Yang were standing hand in hand only about 10 yards away. Weiss smiled at them. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes as she saw a flash of white hair heading towards her. "Whitley." She thought bitterly. 

“Hello father,” Whitley said as he arrived. “Sisters.”

Before they could stop themselves, both women glared at their little brother. He didn’t flinch. 

“I wasn’t aware you decided to return, Weiss.” Whitley said.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Weiss said almost sarcastically. 

“Of course,” Whitley waved his hand. “Just surprised you were brave enough to show your face here again.”

“Not brave,” Winter growled. “She’s worthy of being here. She’s your sister. I would ask you to treat her accordingly.”

Whitley didn’t falter. 

“And what of you, dear Winter? I thought father renounced you from this family after you joined the military. Are you worthy of being here?”

This time Weiss stepped in.

“She’s fought in battles you could never dream of.” Weiss said. “She’s saved countless lives, been on humanitarian missions to make the world safer. What have you done Whitley, besides attend board meetings and dinners and only think about your own selfish needs?”

Winter put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

“Hold your tongue Weiss.” Jauques growled. “We don’t need another scene like the last one you made.”

Weiss stepped back towards Winter who placed her hand on her back once again. 

Suddenly a gray haired man walked up to them, his faced amused.

“Jacques!” The man said. “It’s good to see you.” 

The two men shook hands. 

“You as well.” Jauqeus said. “Enjoying the party?”

“I am, although I wasn’t aware animals were allowed into this privileged event.” The man nodded at Blake. Weiss watched as Blake’s ears shot up after hearing the comment and then buried ferociously into her head. Yang noticed and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

Jacques narrowed his eyes.

“Animals are most certainly not allowed. I will call security to escort it out.”

The man nodded and walked away.

Weiss balled her fists in anger.

“She’s not an animal father.” Weiss snapped. “If she was let in, she was obviously invited. Leave her be.”

Jacques’s face turned dark. 

“What did I tell you about holding your tongue? You say another word and I’ll escort you out of this party myself.”

“No you won’t,” Weiss shot back. “You wouldn’t want to cause a scene.” 

Weiss tried to walk away, but her father grabbed her wrist and dug his fingernails into her skin. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked darkly. 

Winter quickly stood between her father and sister.

“Don’t touch her.” Winter snarled.

Jacques let go of Weiss, but not before giving her a stern look. He turned to Winter.

“Maybe you should have gone to talk with Ironwood,” Jacques said. “You belong with him, not this family.”

“Maybe,” Winter said. “But I’m not going anywhere.”

Winter looked at the door of the hallway leading to the library. In the doorway stood Veronica and Ruby, waiting for them and guarding the door. Half of her wished she could tell them to go back to the library, but it was comforting having their partners with them.

Another moment of silence passed. Weiss heard a man complain about his drinks to one of the servers. Weiss heard her father mutter something about incompetence. Suddenly, she realised she was forgetting something, or rather, someone.

“Father,” She began. “Where’s Klein?”

“Klein who?” Jacques asked.

“Klein. Our butler of 15 years?”

“Oh yes,” Jacques said. “Our poor Klein passed away actually.”

Weiss froze. 

“W-What?”

“Yes. A faunus protester killed him when he was out one night. A tragic loss.”

Weiss took a few deep breaths. She couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be. It was then that she realised that was simply it. It wasn’t believable. A faunus protester wouldn’t of killed him, Klein wouldn’t even be out during a rally. It was all just a cover up.

“You killed him, didn’t you?” Weiss looked at her father who pretended to be surprised. 

“How dare you accuse me of something like that. Of course not.” Jacques almost laughed. Weiss didn’t think it was funny.

“You knew he helped me escape so you had him killed. Didn’t you!” Weiss couldn’t help it anymore. She yelled in his face, not caring if she gained attention. “He was an innocent man! He saw how much I hated it in this house! He saw how much you hated me! He was the only one who understood me and you killed him!”

“How DARE you-”

“How dare me? How dare you!” Weiss cut off her father. At this point everyone was staring. “How dare you pretend to love my mother! How dare you disown my sister! How dare you kill Klein! How dare you not give a damn that my school was attacked, how dare you hit me, and how dare you take away my title! How dare you, sir, for wanting me to grow up to be like you.” She looked him straight in the eye. “I am not you. I will never be you. I am stronger than you. You can’t hurt me anymore.”

“Well see about that!” Jacques seemed to forget there were others in the room. He lifted his hand to Weiss, but Winter pulled her sister back. She tried to block Jacques blow, but she wasn’t fast enough. His hand hit her flat across her face, a red mark lightly appearing on her right cheek. Winter narrowed her eyes at her father, but gave him a hidden smirk. He’d fallen right into a trap. Her father stepped back and looked around the room at the horrified faces around him. Winter felt herself being pulled backwards. She turned to see Veronica and a few Atlas guards. Veronica gave her partners arm a quick squeeze before standing in front of Jacques. Weiss grabbed her sister’s hand and wrapped her arms around her waist. Winter pet her head for comfort. Ruby was at their side in a second, putting a hand on Weiss’s shoulder.

“Mr. Schnee,” Veronica started seriously. “You are under arrest for assault of your adult child. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

“What!” Jacques said. “I was punishing my child! You can’t arrest me!”

Whitley tried to jump in. “Wait, but my sister was clearly out of line! Why would you arrest him?”

Veronica raised her eyebrows menacingly. “Do you want to go with him kid?”

Whitley shook his head and stepped back.

They watched as the Atlas guards hold Jacques’s shoulders and handcuff him. Soon enough, they began to escort him out of the party.

As he disappeared, Winter breathed out a sigh of relief. She addressed the guests.

“We’re sorry you had to witness that.” Winter said pretending to be ernest. “I’m sure that changed the mood of the party, but don’t let our family quarrels ruin the Atlas Ball.” She turned to the live band and nodded. They began to play another song, and people slowly went back to talking.

Blake and Yang sprinted over to them, worry on their faces. Weiss let go of her sister only to be wrapped in a hug by Ruby; Blake and Yang following suit. Veronica turned to Winter. She pulled her into a hug and quickly but gently put her hand on Winter’s fading red cheek, before pulling her back into a hug. 

“Thank you, Onica.” Winter said. “You didn’t have to arrest him.”

“Isn’t it my job to arrest criminals?” 

“You’re an army lieutenant, not a police officer.”

“Tomatoes, tomatoes, you know.”

Winter turned to Weiss. 

“You shouldn’t have taken that for me.” Weiss said. “You shouldn’t have ever-”

“Weiss,” Winter cut her off. “It’s okay. He shouldn’t have tried to attack you in the first place.”

“This isn’t the first time, is it?” Weiss realized. “You took the blame for me when we were kids - when I did something out of line. You said it was you, just to keep me safe.”

Winter shrugged. “You would have done the same for me.”

Weiss pulled her sister in for another hug. 

“Come on,” Winter said. “We should see if the others are having a better time with Ironwood.”

*

“I can’t believe it.” Ironwood breathed slowly. Everyone had filled him in on everything they knew. “All this - its overwhelming, but it actually gives me hope.”

They all looked at him strangely. 

“Until now I believed it was impossible to turn the tides against Salem. But I believe now, that this has all happened for a reason. What are the odds that Pyrrha would come back, let alone be found by her friends, and then meet up with my lieutenants only to be taken straight to Ozpin.”

Honestly, it wasn’t the strangest thing they’d ever heard.

“Right now, we find ourselves in a position of needing a new approach. With all of us together, we may have a chance to stop her. Salem will keep returning stronger and stronger unless we destroy her.”

Ruby looked up at the General. “What can we do to help?"

*

“Do you think they’re okay? Maybe we should have gone with them.” Blake spoke quietly to her partner. They had decided to step away from the party for a moment, and were currently leaning on the railing of the long porch attached to the ballroom. The moon shone brightly above them, reflecting of the pure white marble of the Schnee mansion. 

“They’re fine,” Yang assured Blake. “They’ve got each other.” Yang put a hand on Blakes. Blake shivered and leaned into her partner. Yang wrapped her metal arm around Blake, pulling her close. 

“I’m sorry you had to do this tonight,” Yang whispered. “You shouldn’t of had to be put through this much hate.”

“It’s worth it.” Blake stated, looking up at Yang. “If I get to be with you.”

They stayed there for a moment longer taking each other in. There was an unspoken thing between the two ever since their fight with Adam. They both knew how the other felt, but it went unspoken. 

“Do you want to dance?” Yang asked offering a hand to Blake. “We didn’t really get a chance in there.”

Blake smiled and took Yang’s hand. “Only if I get more than one dance this time.”

Yang winked and placed her right hand on Blake’s waist. Blake wrapped her arm around Yang’s neck. Yang’s metal fingers intertwined with Blake’s real ones and they began to move to the rhythm of the band. They waltzed together as Yang led, occasionally spinning Blake to the music’s percussion.

“I didn’t know you could like, dance, dance.” Yang said.

“My dad taught me.” Blake replied. “He thought it was important.”

“Yeah mine too.”

Blake let out a happy gasp when Yang lifted her into the air, spinning them both. When Yang put her down, Blake buried herself into Yang’s shoulder and they swayed to the remaining music. Yang ran her fingers through her partners bobbed hair. Blake’s eyes closed as she gripped Yang tighter. The heat radiating off them felt good - comforting - promising. 

“Yang,” Blake whispered. “I’m scared.”

The sudden change of tone made Yang hold Blake tighter. 

“Why’s that honey?” Yang asked gently.

“I’m scared for us.” Blake said. “If we bring this fight to Salem we’re going to be in an all out war. I know we can handle anything together, I know, but I can’t stand even the thought of losing you.”

“I’m scared too.” Yang admitted. “When we were fighting him, he almost, I almost lost…” Yang trailed off. Adam’s name went unspoken between them. “But he didn’t. We beat him together, and I didn’t even have to think about losing you again. Reality is going to kick in pretty soon, so lets not think about that future.” Yang brought her hand to cup Blake’s face. “Let’s think about us now. Pretend like everything’s going to be fine. I promise you baby, as long as we’re together, everything will be okay.”

Blake moved first, unable to wait any longer. She needed Yang’s lips on hers. She needed to feel Yang’s reality.

Yang pulled Blakes waist into her own as Blake greedily kept their lips together. They refused to gasp for air, not wanting to be apart for a second. Blake’s hands moved from Yang’s hair to the back of her dress, reaching for skin. Yang’s did the same moving down Blake’s back until- 

Yang’s stomach rumbled loudly. Blake’s laughter broke their kiss, and Yang couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“Hungry?” Blake asked.

Yang put a hand on her stomach. 

“I guess so.” Yang led Blake to a bench. “Stay here, I’ll grab us an impromptu late night picnic!” 

Blake laughed at her partner's eagerness and watched as she ran off. It was the first time in a while where she had felt truly happy.

“Blake Belladonna.” 

Blake froze. She recognised that shrill voice. 

A short, white haired boy appeared from a door on the side of the ballroom. Two other men dressed in black stood behind him. Blake tensed. 

“You’ve been causing quite the stir this evening.” Whitley said. “It’s nice to finally meet my sisters teammate.”

Teammate? Blake thought. How did he know?

“Its nice to meet her brother.” Blake tried to say as kindly as possible. She stood slowly. “What can I do for you?”

“Miss Belladonna, you should not have come to the dance. You don’t belong here.”

The way he said it made Blake nervous. She clutched her fists.

“And why is that?”

“Because,” Whitley smirked. “You are an animal, and animals belong in cages.”

Blake’s ears shot up as she heard two more men behind her. She dodged the first one’s attack, but was hit in the back by the other man. One of the men by Whitley pulled out a gun. Blake turned, but she was too late. The sleeping dart hit her in the arm, immediately making her drowsy. She fell hard. She tried to will herself to stay awake, internally pleading for Yang to come back. 

Blake felt herself being grabbed around the waist and hoisted up over a shoulder. The man began walking away from the party. Blake’s eyes darted around, looking for Whitley, but he was gone. Blake used all her energy to lift her head and look in one of the windows looking for anyone. She saw a flash of blonde hair walking away from her. "Yang!" She tried to scream, but no words came out. Call it fate, but Yang turned immediately around. Blake watched as she dropped the plate of food she was holding and begin to sprint across the room. 

Blake couldn’t fight it anymore. She was tired, so tired. She felt the man run faster. She felt herself leave her body. The last thing she saw was a flash of yellow in the window as her eyes finally closed into a long slumber.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 should be out soon. I know it's a little crazy, but hopefully you'll like the rest! Hope you liked it! :)


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